Awkward Consequences
by PsyckoSama
Summary: Ranma Sailor Moon Crossover. Now being rewritten as my skills have gone a long way since it was started. Hotaru Ranma
1. Prologue: A Nights Contemplation

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and copyrights. Ranma 1/2 is the creation and intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation and intellectual property of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation and intellectual property of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story.

Awkward Consequences  
Prologue: A Nights Contemplation  
by PsyckoSama

Hotaru stared blankly at her alarm clock. 4:30. She would have to rise in two hours, but she knew sleep would not come. Her mind was too active, too disturbed, too afraid. She knew that tonight there was no rest for the weary.

She turned to the shadowed walls of her room. Even with eyes adapted to the darkness, she could see but the outline of her rooms contents. Everything muddled, nothing sure. Much like her life, both future and past.

Why and how had she come to this choice? The damnable choice, of life and death. She wiped the nights tears from her face and closed her pinked eyes for a moment of reflection.

He past was a dark story fitting her position. Senshi of Death and Rebirth. She mused on her father and his pact, the Witches 5, Death Busters, her personal sacrifice when she used her powers save the world. The Death Reborn Revolution. It turned her into a baby. Began the more positive part of her life.

Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa. They took her in, raised her, and gave her the love she lacked all her life. They were her family, the other senshi were her friends. They gave her what she lacked so long, and asked for little in return. And that is why she did her duty. She was the Sailor Saturn, and she knew that part of them feared her for it.

Parts of their minds were still under the shadow of Mistress 9. They feared the possibility that she could go rogue. Farthest from truth. They gave her everything. Her reason for life, her happiness. With out them she was nothing but a solitary weapon. Their love gave her strength, their passion gave her hope. She knew she was a weapon. The most powerful known. She could split worlds, devastate civilizations, and lay all in her path to dust. She was their weapon. The mighty scythe of destruction forever posed to strike down their enemies. She was forever at their side, fighting with them for a bright future. A future that was dimming for her.

Things had been looking so well, so calm, so happy. There had not been an attack since Galaxia. She had a final growth spurt bringing her body to par with her true age. Everything was wonderful.

It is amazing how everything you fought for, bled for, could be disrupted by a single dazed exploit. A foolish blunder you could not, did not realize until it was complete. A single moment could bring you to a crossroads with no light at the end. She was at the fork of this road. How would the history of her future be written. What path would she chose.

Life or Death. Dishonor or Conspiracy. Duplicity or Truth. What would the others say? What would they do? What would they think? What would they ask of her? The choice, these questions, all weighed on her soul in a way her powers and responsibility never could.

She had disposed of the evidence. No one would know, at least for now. Should she hide it, what should she do, was she alone, who will she tell?

Hotaru shed another tear, heart wracked with cold dread. She was alone in this.

Hotaru's eyes burst open and she bolted up with power rarely vested in her fragile frame. There was one other. One other who had a part, one other with a choice, one other with a responsibility. Regardless of the choice. That person deserved to know more then anyone.

She had to locate him. She had to find Saotome Ranma.

Notes: Please comment. All C&C will be appreciated, applause will be happily accepted, criticism will be considered, ideas would be useful, and flames will be quickly discarded. Thank ye!


	2. Chapter 1: Unexpected Revelations

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and copyrights. Ranma 1/2 is the creation and intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation and intellectual property of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation and intellectual property of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 1: Unexpected Revelations  
by PsyckoSama

It was light, the day had come. Once more into the breach. Hotaru looked at her clock. It was almost half-past six. Close enough, time to get up and face the world.

She arose from her bed and turned to her closet. She was following her daily routine, she had to continue on as if there was nothing wrong. If she acted different from the norm the others might realize something was wrong, and if they knew something was wrong then they might eventually find out. She had to figure things out before it was too late. She had time, unfortunately, it was not enough.

She removed a uniform, the colors of Mugen Academy. What would happen to her school life? She fought hard, studied hard, to get into the school. What would happen to her education?

Hotaru's train of though was disturbed by the shrill cry of her alarm clock. 6:30, time for all good girls to get up and face the day. She quickly turned it off and left toward the bath.

She exited her room and carefully walked toward the bathroom. Good, no one in the halls. No one in the halls to see the dried tears that framed her face.

She closed the door. Time to wash up, to cover the evidence of her sadness and tears. Smile. Smile. Always smile. A smile was a mask of happiness. If she smiled then people would not question, and search for the truth before she was ready. She ran the water and washed her face.

In a cascade of soap and water she wiped away the tracts left by her tears and glanced in the mirror. All she saw was herself.

Cute. She had been called cute. Was it true, or was it a falsehood said to throw her off balance. She couldn't see how it was true. She was short, bony, and flat-chested. Her hair was too thin and she didn't have enough color in her skin. How could she possibly be cute? Who could find a sickly girl like her attractive? That was a question to ask when the time was right, but not now.

Right now she had to worry about her face. The tears themselves were gone, but she still looked like hell. Her eyes were puffy and she had rings under her eyes. She would have to do. She did not have the time for makeup.

Hotaru eventually finished with her routine and quickly changed into her uniform. Stopping only to throw her PJs into the hamper, she proceeded down the stairs. Smile. Remember to smile. The less they know the better off she was.

When she got to the kitchen, she noted that all of the Outer Senshi were present. Michiru was finishing up on the cooking, Haruka was sitting back waiting for breakfast, while Setsuna was drinking her ritual cup of double strong black coffee and was reading the newspaper.

"Good morning Hotaru-chan!" said Michiru shattering Hotaru's train of thought.

"I'm just fine Michiru-mama," replied Hotaru. To prove her speculative state of happiness, Hotaru smiled. The smile was a wonderful example of poor acting. A large, plastic Cheshire Cat grin to give emphases a plastic mood.

Michiru frowned, and inquisitively looked Hotaru over. "Hotaru-chan, what's wrong?"

This was bad. Doing her best to keep from showing her inner feelings she doubled up on her smile, but could not cover her heavy perspiration. Hotaru really hated being the center of attention. "Nothing Mama! I'm just fine"

Michiru frowned, "What's wrong Hotaru-chan, did you get sick again?"

Hotaru took a look at Michiru, and could see that she was not going to be happy until she had an answer. "No mama," she lied.

Hotaru's smile faded as she spoke. She hated lying, especially to her family, but sometimes you have to force yourself to do the unpleasant. She knew this better anyone, being the Agent of the Apocalypse and all.

Hotaru felt Haruka's worried gaze upon her. The young girl's constitution may never have been the best, it had improved since her rebirth, but she still tended to be rather frail. With her new illness and their constantly hovering over her, one could blame her for being a bit more distant the past few weeks.

Suddenly, Haruka's worried expression transformed into a conspiratorial smirk. Hotaru's father figure leaned forward with a glint in her eye. "So, Hotaru-chan, who's the boy?"

Hotaru's eyes almost bugged out of her skull, and she stopped dead in her tracks like a deer in headlights. Did she know?! What was she going to do? The expletive list that ran through her head was long, harsh, and had she said it aloud, would have well earned her the title of 'sailor'. While she could hide her thoughts, her face betrayed her with a crimson blush.

"Well?" inquired Haruka, noticing her daughters reaction.

Hotaru's mind ran through a thousand different responses, from admission to indifference. Finally she settled on denial. "Boy? Haruka-papa, do I look like Minako or Makoto to you? When I start ranting on about my 'old senpai', then you should start to worry. Until then, how about some space?"

"Toushé," Haruka replied with a cockeyed grin. "Kitten has claws."

With that out of the way Hotaru sighed at sat at the breakfast table. When the food was served she dug in with unusual gusto. She tried her best to avoid, ignore, and/or stay out of the conversations around her. Today the conversations mainly consisted of Senshi business, complaints about Haruka and Michiru's conflicting college schedules, and general flirting between her parents. As usual Setsuna remained silent and out of the picture. Well, mostly out of the picture.

Setsuna lowered her paper and cleared her throat. "Hotaru, yesterday you came in with a bag. What was in it?"

"Oh, nothing Setsuna-mama! It was only..." Hotaru though for a moment, what would be a good cover up? "Shoes! I just got a pair of shoes. Nothing special really."

Hotaru gave everyone a huge plastic grin and hoped they would buy it.

"From the drug store?" inquired Setsuna as she took a nonchalant sip of her coffee.

"Flip-flops," she quickly replied.

"Oh," Setsuna replied with a half-interested shrug, focusing on the paper once gain.

That was a close one. Hotaru mentally noted that it might be a good idea to pick up a pair of flip-flops after school. The drug store did have a nice pair of purple ones she had seen on the way out. She took a quick look up at the wall clock, and pushed the scant remains of her meal away.

Standing up she said, "Oh, look at the time! It's getting late. I've got to get going!"

Haruka blinked in confusion. Hotaru never left this early, and she always got a ride. "Hotaru, it's not that late. I'll drive you one I'm finished eating."

Hotaru shook her head. "No, it's fine Haruka-papa! It's such a nice day! I think I'll walk."

"Are you sure you're up to it?" questioned Haruka.

It was a nice day and she could use the time to think. She would press the issue. Hotaru nodded, "Yes, Haruka-papa. I feel great. I think I'll walk home too."

Haruka shrugged, and consented. "Ok, Hotaru, but if anything happens give me a call."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. Sometimes Haruka could be so overprotective. "Yes papa..."

Haruka smiled and waved her foster daughter off, "See ya, Hotaru-chan!"

Hotaru grabbed her things and left, stopping only to grab her bento and to wish Setsuna and Michiru a good day.

After she left Michiru turned to the other two outers and said, "I think there is something wrong with Hotaru."

"I agree," said Haruka "She is acting slightly strange. How about you Setsuna?"

Setsuna sighed and looked over her paper. "I've seen nothing in the near future that could be considered a major event. Ask her if you like, but it could just be that she's growing up." Setsuna chuckled lightly, and waved off their concerns. "Do whatever you like, but I'll play no part of it"

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She walked at a slow, sedate pace, both to save energy and to give her time to think.

It was hard to hide things with a guilty mind. She would have to calm down and relax. She just needed to relax. Things would be okay, but first she needed to find him.

She looked back to her meeting with the young man with the braid. Looking back she remembered little. While she wasn't surprised, it was upsetting. He seemed like a nice person, sweet and caring. She liked that. He had even called her cute. While she could not see not he could mean that, at least he was nice to her, unlike the jerks at her school.

She though a little more. He had claimed to be a great martial artist too. While she knew that she would never be strong enough to be one she always envied Makoto and Haruka for their skill and confidence. She often wished she could be as healthy as they were.

She knew that he had told her his address, but unfortunately she could not recall it. All she could remember was him mentioning Nerima and a dojo.

Hotaru groaned. Great, she had to find a particular dojo in Nerima. Why did it have to be in Nerima? Haruka-papa and Makoto always talked about it like it was a Mecca for martial arts enthusiasts. There had to be at least a hundred dojos in Nerima. It was like looking for needle in a box of pins.

As she walked, Hotaru remembered why she usually got a ride. It was a long walk. While most normal girls could easily walk the distance from her house to Mugen, Hotaru was beginning to tire already. At this rate she would be luck to make it before first bell. Taking a deep breath she put more her stride. It wasn't _that_ far.

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"Some things never change," Hotaru mused to herself as she ate her lunch alone. During the day she had more time to think. She realized that trying to act happy was not going to fool anyone. She had to try and act normal, or at least what passed for normal for her. She also had to find Saotome Ranma.

Normal, why couldn't she be normal? She looked at the other students as they ate their meals and talked. Her only friends were the Senshi. Even her best friend, Chibi-Usa, was a Senshi. None of them were normal, but they still had normal friends. Why couldn't she? What was wrong with her?

Hotaru sighed longingly as she observed the other students. Always listening, never intruding. The conversations today were average. The boys were talking about the girls, the girls were talking about to boys. Kanada Ryu, the classes premier technology Otaku was boasting about his new computer.

She wondered what it would be like to have a boyfriend, someone strong and cute who did not care about her powers. Maybe Ranma was the one. Yeah, right. She sighed longingly and continued to eat, wondering and hoping.

Ranma. She swore she could hear his name. Ranma, Ranma, Ranma. Hotaru raised an eyebrow. She was hearing his name. She looked around for a moment, then zoomed in on the boys in the corner.

She groaned, it was Yoshi and his goons. Yoshi was the class tough guy. He claimed to be a martial artist, but even she could tell that he was just a big jerk with an even bigger mouth.

Hotaru looked at them for a moment. Yoshi and his mob of idiots were reading a cheap tabloid called "The Nerima Review". They seemed excited talking about a fight between Ranma and a boy named Ryouga. She was not sure that it was her Ranma they were talking about, so she waited to see if they would mention the last name.

She did not have to wait long for proof. One of the punks lifted it into the air for a moment. She almost jumped out of her seat in response. On its cover was the picture of two young men in a contest of skill. While she could not recognize that bandanna-clad man with the umbrella, she knew that ponytail.

Hotaru quickly stood up and walked over to them. She would have to get it somehow. She took a deep breath and said, "Excuse me, Yoshi-kun, may I please see that magazine?"

Yoshi stood to his feet and looked down on Hotaru. "Ha! Get you own, ya little bitch."

Hotaru sighed. She would have to force him. She looked him in the eyes for a moment and embraced the power of silence, causing her eyes to glow a dull violet for a second.

It got the desired effect. Yoshi jumped back and thrust the magazine forward. "Hey, no need to get weird! Just take it... before I kick your freak ass."

Hotaru snatched it from his hands and walked back to her desk, ignoring the dirty looks she was getting from her classmates.

Hotaru opened the magazine and began reading. To her surprise much of the magazine was about Ranma. He seemed to be famous, or at least infamous, among the Nerima martial artist community. It calmed her to know that he wouldn't have been difficult to find.

All in all it was a mixture of tabloid, gambling odds, and a day by day record of the big fights in the area. Published by Tendo Press... where did she hear that name before?

She breezed through it looking for something of interest. Ah, a Martial Artist index! That could be useful. She quickly ran through the colorful index of names until she reached Ranma's entry.

Saotome Ranma. Age 18. Not that far from her own. His style was called Anything Goes? That sounds silly! Ah Contact information! Exactly what she was looking for!

"Contact the Tendo Dojo," Hotaru read to herself. No wonder she recognized the name. He lived at the Tendo Dojo! Now she remembered!

Hotaru could not hide her beaming smile. She would go to see him tomorrow. Things were looking up! Everything might just turn out alright.

Her quest for Saotome Ranma satisfied, she turned to the main story and began to read. From what she could understand between the technical descriptions of the moves she found it hard to believe.

Ki blasts? Blowing up walls with a touch? This had to be blown out of proportion! It sounded like something right out of a manga! Hotaru paused for a moment. So did magical girls, and that didn't stop her from fighting every damn monster, demon, and creepy-crawly in the Tokyo area. If she could have freaky powers and a rogues gallery weirdos and rejects, why couldn't he?

Still, it was something worth checking out. Even without her own reasons for going, it was well worth the subway fare if simply to look for potential allies who were skilled in close quarters combat.

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When Hotaru arrived at home that night she was much more calm then she was in the morning. She was still afraid, she was nervous, and she was still hesitant, but she had hope.

She knew what she was going to do and she knew it would work. It had to. She knew she had to tell the others but she had to do this on her own. She had to make her own fate.

Mama and Papa. She knew they must be worried about her. She knew she was not a terribly good actor. Hopefully they we're not doing something silly like waiting by the door for her.

She pushed open the door and found herself looking directly at Haruka and Michiru. It took all her will not to groan loudly and face palm. Family no baka!

Haruka stood up from her seat, and doth of them looked expectantly at their foster daughter. Hotaru blanched, their stares made her feel like she was being interrogated. It was a good instinct.

"Hotaru-chan, you were acting very strange at breakfast. What's the matter? Please tell us," asked Michiru, her face the very mask of concern.

Hotaru sighed in annoyance, she knew where this was going. "Nothing mama, I'm fine."

"Cut the crap, Hotaru. We know somethings wrong. We love you and want to help you, so please tell us," said Haruka, somehow managing to seem both highly annoyed and worried at the same time.

Good Cop, Bad cop. Right on the money. If the age difference between them wasn't less then five years Hotaru would swear that they were getting predictable in their old age. Must be a parent thing. Oh, joy.

Hotaru knew that they would not be satisfied until she told them the truth. She also knew that she was a horrific liar. She was momentarily reminded on a friendly poker game she had with the Inner Senshi. Who had known that innocent seeming Ami-chan was such a card shark?

Honesty, honesty was the best bet. The fickle thing about the truth is that you can tell part of it with out telling all of it. If you wanted to you could go into detail and make sure the person your telling understands it in its totality. You can also be vague, telling them just what you want them to know and letting them come to their own, oft incorrect, conclusion. It's vague time.

Hotaru sighed. She just hoped that she would not give away too much or break down and tell everything. "Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, I just have a lot on my mind."

Michiru looked Hotaru in the eyes. "Please tell us what it is. It is obviously important. Please, let us help you."

Hotaru felt a tug of anguish threaten to over come her. She could feel tears coming on. Part of her wanted to break down, to let it out. No, now wasn't the time. She had to be strong, in control. There would be a time for truth and tears, but it wasn't now.

Wincing to cover the moistness in her eyes, she choked out, "Its private... I can't tell you, at least not yet. I have things I need to do first. Please trust me, please?"

"Hotaru..." Haruka had to know, but her questioning was interrupted mid sentence by her lover's hand on her shoulder.

She turned to Michiru who quietly said, "Haruka, She's right. We should trust her to make the right choice. It you can't trust those you love, who can you?"

Hotaru couldn't help but wince internally. Couldn't anything ever be easy?

Haruka paused for a moment then nodded her head. "Your right, Michiru."

Hotaru sighed in relief. They trusted her. "Mama, papa. I'll tell you soon. Okay?"

"It is a boy isn't it?" asked a smiling Haruka.

Hotaru blushed, and grinned like a shark. She winked and waved her finger at Haruka as if the older girl was a naught child. "That would be telling!"

After a moment Hotaru broke away from her family and left the room. She headed directly toward the phone in the living room, and more importantly, the phone book.

Hotaru could not help but roll her eyes when she entered. Setsuna was sitting in her favorite chair with a soda and bowl of popcorn watching, of all things, imported recordings of American professional wrestling. Hotaru simply could not understand how a grown woman, who by all respects predated recorded human civilization, could watch that mindless macho crap.

She sighed. So much for high culture.

Hotaru lifted the phone book and began to dig through it. After a few moments she found the entry for the Tendo Dojo. Address and phone number. Just what she needed. Hotaru quickly ripped out the page and headed up toward the stairs.

"Hotaru-chan, could you model those sandals for me?" asked Setsuna without turning from the TV. "Bet you look cute in 'em!"

Crap, she knew that she forgot something, "Tomorrow, Setsuna-mama!"

"Okay..."

Without another word Hotaru ran up stairs. She would have to get an early start the next day. She would ask Haruka-papa to give her a ride to the bus stop. From there she would go onto Nerima, and whatever fate awaited her. Oh, and she also needed some damn flip-flops.

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From the top of the canal's protective fence, Saotome Ranma relaxed in the noonday sun. It was Saturday and classes were over for the week. Except for one unfortunate "upset" a month and a half ago, life had been going relatively well for him these last few months. He was still trapped in the same cycle of craziness that he'd been for the past two years, but at least it wasn't getting much worse. Akane had not been kidnapped for almost 3 months now, and the number of out of the blue challengers and new fiancées was at an all time low.

Surprisingly enough he was also doing well in college. While his English was sub-par, and his grammar and writing were downright horrific, he was doing well in most of his other classes. Once he was out of the dry, regimented, high-pressure environment that was High School he quickly discovered that he had a gift for mathematics and history.

Frankly, it scared the daylights out of him. Ranma knew that if there was one absolute in life for him, it was chaos. Peace and quite were not in the description. Things had just been too peaceful, and considering how good life was looking, when it blew it was going to go off big.

With a sight he turned and continued his daily run. A light twenty-five kilometer fence-run across Nerima. A perfect light jog, and a good chance for who ever was out for his blood that day to get it out of their systems before they drag it home to the dojo.

Today, it wasn't working. This was odd, very odd. Every day he would encounter something, even if it was as minor as a splash of water or Kuno spouting flowery garbage. Today there was nothing wrong, absolutely positively nothing.

By the time he had returned home, Ranma was more than a little unnerved. There was not a cloud in the sky, his challengers were totally absent, and he had not argued with Akane once. He never had days like this. So far, it had been an absolutely perfect day.

Never a good sign.

Ranma just shrugged off his apprehension. He would just have to handle it the way he did everything else. He'd just let it go and run its course, kicking ass when need be. No need to fight the river, you'll only get swept away.

He hopped over the wall into the backyard. Through the house's sliding door he could see that Kasumi was sitting across from someone. With a smile he walked toward the door.

"Hey Kasumi! Who is the visitor?"

"Oh hello Ranma! There is some one here to see you."

Ranma turned his head to see who it was. His eyes went wide and he swore his ponytail stood on end. As he looks at the face of their visitor, he swore he felt a piece of ice run down his spine. Shit, meet The Fan.

Hotaru stood up from her tea and brushed of her skirt with a smile. "Hello, Ranma-san," Hotaru said with a slight blush and a shallow bow.

Ranma gulped, blushing slightly himself. "Err... Hotaru-chan... ahh... How are ya?"

Hotaru smiled, he was cute when he was embarrassed. "Ranma-san, we need to talk." After a moment Hotaru realized Kasumi's presence, then continued "Alone, please."

"And what will you be talking about?" growled Akane, seemingly from no where.

Ranma quickly twisted around and began to back up. Akane was in her gi. She had apparently just finished training in the Dojo when she had over heard them. "Err... Akane, It's not what it looks like!"

Akane's eyes narrowed. "Oh, and who is this?"

Ranma gulped, and said, "She is... just a friend... yeah, just a friend! Akane, meet Hotaru. Hotaru, this is my fiancée, Tendo Akane."

Hotaru's heart stopped, as the delicate illusion she was using to shield herself shattered by a bolt of cruel reality. Fiancée. He had a fiancée. No! She couldn't tell him! To do so would oppose everything the Senshi stood for, everything that she stood for. She just couldn't ruin another person's happiness for her own benefit.

Hotaru looked down as she gathered her things, trying to hold her tears but failing. "I'm sorry for bothering you two. I will be going. Have a good life." Without another word, Hotaru turned and ran from the dojo as fast as her sickly body could carry her.

Ranma stepped forward to follow, but was cut off by Akane's voice. "What do you think you're doing? Trying to add another girl to your harem?"

Ranma, contrary to popular opinion was not the unobservant fool he was made out to be. While he did not have the social graces or tact to keep his foot out of his mouth, he was no idiot. If anything he could detect people's intentions and emotions better them most people.

Manipulating your opponent through his or her emotions was a key part of the Saotome school. To undermine their confidence, and to make them lose control to anger. This necessitated an in-depth knowledge of the human psyche, and there was a reason Ranma was a master.

Ranma could tell that Hotaru had something important to tell him. Part of him dreaded that news. Strange women with who he had some form of past never brought good things. Another part of his was curious. Even though he had only met her one, he knew that Hotaru was not the kind of girl to come unannounced without a good reason, especially after his warning. Finally there was the main reason why he had to talk to her. He made her cry, and If he had one weakness, it was he could not stand making girls cry.

Ranma heave a sigh. He would have to find her, but first he needed to keep Akane from killing him. "Akane, she's somebody I met at school. She'd got something important to tell me, and looks upset. I gotta to see what it was."

Akane growled with rage. "Fine then! Go look for your girlfriend!" She stormed past Ranma toward the stairwell. Before she turned to leave the room she looked back at Ranma screaming, "As far as I'm concerned, our engagement is over!"

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Hotaru was beside herself. A fiancée, he had a fiancée. How could she have tricked herself into thinking a boy like that would already have someone special? Once again she was alone. Alone! No one to help her. The others could try but they couldn't understand. Even if they knew she would be alone.

While it would not have been easy, she could have dealt with rejection, even scorn. She was no stranger to either but to not even have a fair chance ripped her apart inside. Why, could she ever have a chance at Happiness? Why!? Why did the gods hate her so much? She had to be cursed! She had to be! It just was not possible for someone to have worse luck then she did!

What would she tell Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama? What would they say? Would they be angry? Would they every trust her again?

Overwhelmed by tears and anguish, Hotaru allowed her knees to collapse as her limited reserves gave out. What would she do, what would she do?

"Hotaru?"

Her eyes burst open, and she looked up. Through her tear clouded eyes she looked directly into Ranma's eyes. Two beautiful gray-blue orbs filled with nothing but concern.

"Hotaru-chan, you okay?" he asked.

"Just go away, Ranma," he replied between sobs. She just couldn't ruin someone else's life for her benefit.

"You came to tell me something, so why don't you just tell me what you came to say? Alright?"

Hotaru shook her head. She could do nothing but refuse. She no longer had the strength of will to tell him. She couldn't do this to him.

Ranma held out his hand. "Please?"

Hotaru shook her head again. "No! I can't! I... I can't ruin you happiness."

"My happiness?" Ranma scoffed. "Thats rich."

Hotaru paused, her own sadness lost to confusion. "But you have a fiancée."

Ranma laughed tiredly. "Actually, I got three of 'em,"

Hotaru's jaw dropped.

"What?!" she screamed as she bolted to her feet filled with a whole new energy. In this case, righteous feminine rage. "What kind of pervert are you?!"

"Hey, now!" Ranma choked out as he too a step back, "It's my old man did it!"

While most people would take that as a poor excuse, after surviving her own father, she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

She she scowled and tapped her foot expectingly.

"Remember that training trip I told you about?"

Hotaru nodded. She remembered, vaguely.

"Well, it seems that my old man thought one of the easiest was to get stuff was to engage me to random girls then steal me back when he had what he wanted! Three is just the number I have to deal with now. I've already chased off a couple more, and there are probably more girls that I haven't even met yet."

Hotaru was horrified. She could remember him recommending that she avoid him unless it was completely necessary because of the so called chaos in his life, but this was ridiculous!

Sure, her father had gone and gotten himself possessed by a demon who then tried to use her as the host for another demon so they could destroy the world, but at least his intentions had been for the best. Ranma's father on the other hand, she couldn't think of anything redeeming about what she'd just heard.

Shaking her head at the ridiculousness of her life, she began to walk to toward the bus stop. Ranma followed by her side without interrupting. Hotaru could tell by his expression that he was waiting for her to speak, but at the moment she was just for the time, and silence.

What would she do now? Apparently this news would not be as bad as she thought. If his life was a messed up as he claimed then she doubt that she would make it any worse. Hell, she thought with some macabre amusement, it might even give him some stability as sick as it might seem.

She sighed deeply, feeling very very spent. This was it, the chance she wanted, but first she needed some confidence.

"Ranma? When you said I was cute, did you mean it?"

Ranma blushed. "Of course I did! You're a very cute girl."

Hotaru looked over to him and gave a self-depreciating snort. "But I'm short, skinny, and I don't have any color in my skin. How am I cute?"

Ranma grinned. "You're petite and got that whole perky goth girl thing going. You're cute."

Hotaru scowled slightly. Perky goth girl? Everyone said she was like a goth, but she hated goth! Always going on about death and stuff and being depressing. While she could see there being some truth to it, she didn't have to _like_ it. Still, she did admit it being a 'petite, perky goth girl' sounded a lot better than skinny, short, and sickly and it was a hell of a lot better than being considered a freak, even if he though she looked like a attractive weirdo... which wasn't really that far from the truth and was still a step up.

"You also got a cute smile," he added.

Hotaru felt her slight annoyance vanish. He really think she was cute. She smiled. She felt more confident, now. She could say it now, though if he kept this up she'd probably be unable to speak due to embarrassment. Taking a deep breath she slowed to a stop and began to center herself as emotions and fear began to well up. This would not only be the first time she told another person, but it would also be the first time she even said it out loud.

Hotaru smiled. "Ranma, do you still want to know?"

Last chance to get out, Ranma.

"Yeah."

"Ranma, do you remember that night?" she asked as her throat suddenly became dry, as her nerve began to fail "The one we met?"

Ranma blankly nodded.

Hotaru took a deep breath. To admit this would take every bit of emotional strength she had because even admitting it to herself scared the hell out of her. She choked down her tears and looked Ranma in the eyes, her face betraying a conflicting myriad of emotion.

In a small voice she said, "Ranma, I'm... I'm pregnant, Ranma."


	3. Chapter 2: What Price Honor?

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and copyrights. Ranma 1/2 is the creation and intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation and intellectual property of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation and intellectual property of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 2: What Price Honor?  
by PsyckoSama

Ranma twitched, and chucked lightly. Fucking wonderful. This was great. Just what he should have expected. How did he ever expect the gods to let him get away scot-free. Damn his friends, damn his father, and damn himself for being fool enough to get in this new mess in the first place.

"Goddamn it! Why?!" he screamed as he punched the mailbox next to him. His strike slammed into the large reinforced steel container with the force of a cannonball. The blow imploded the container, sheering it off its mounting bolts, and sending it through the air to cave in the front of a parked Toyota.

He really should have expected this. It was simply the way of things that anything that can go wrong will go wrong, for Saotome Ranma. His karma would have it no other way. It just couldn't do for Saotome Ranma to have a seconds peace, or even a consistent level of chaos.

"Ranma, are you alright?" asked Hotaru in a shaken voice.

He slowly looked over, a deep scowl of resentment and aggravation on his face. It wasn't at her, but rather at his life in general. Hotaru was clearly shocked by his display, and she was crying again. He let out a quiet sigh, a resignation to fate, and straightened up, and tried not to look like he'd been sucking on lemons.

Taking a deep breath he spoke. "Hotaru, I can't ever say how sorry I am. This, this is all my fault. I'm so, so very sorry."

Ranma looked dejectedly at Hotaru, hoping for a reply. He could not blame the girl for being unnerved. He doubted that she had ever seen anyone do that to a mailbox. Even he was even a little surprised that he gotten that much distance.

"Ranma, I'm okay... It's not your fault." said Hotaru, matter of fact.

Ranma shook his head. She was wrong, she had been drawn in by his other curse: his karma. It was moments like this he wondered what kind of horrible monster he had been in his past life to deserve so much constant bullshit. Pol Pot? Adolf Hitler? Pauli Shore?

"Who's Pauli Shore?"

Ranma's eyes bugged out. "Did... I just... say that outloud?"

"That you're karma's really bad, this is all your fault, and you wonder which evil dictator you were in your past life?" Hotaru asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Errr... yeah. That."

"Its not your fault you know," Hotaru repeated.

"No, it is my fault. It was my responsibility. I should have kept a clear head."

Hotaru rolled he eyes, "I was there, too."

"Yeah, but you don't know what my Karma's like. I walk into the room and weird stuff starts to happen to normal people. Hell, Akane gets kidnapped like every other month... didn't happen before I got here, but once I did..." he snapped, "Just like clockwork."

Hotaru stared at him for a moment, with her arms crossed and a rather incredulous look on her face. He just couldn't be serious.

"Hotaru, I ain't kidding," he repeated with total sincerity.

"Alright," she offered after a pregnant pause. "I'll believe you."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes, really, I'll believe you."

Ranma blinked."Wow... so you're _not_ gonna hit me or anything?"

Hotaru actually reeled back in surprise. The idea hadn't even crossed her mind. What kind of a stupid question was that? "Why would I do something like that?"

"Girls just seem to like to hit me, thats all," he paused for a moment "So... how are you sure that you're..." He then thought for a moment. This was not the proper place for this conversation, and he was getting more then his fair share of attention from passers by after sending a mailbox soaring into someone's car.

Hotaru opened her mouth to speak but Ranma raised his hand to silence her. "Hold on a second... this ain't a good place to talk about this. We're getting an audience."

Hotaru looked around for a moment and noticed the amount of attention they were getting. She blushed brightly and nodded.

Before she could even yelp, Ranma lifted her off her feet and bound up onto the rooftops. As he ran, he could not help but notice Hotaru relax in his arms. Almost like she trusted him. She was a fool to do so. He hurt everyone he met, and from the looks of things, she was the newest name on the list.

After a few minutes Ranma stopped on the roof of an unoccupied building. On the roof there was a single plastic lawn chair. Ranma gingerly put her down and looked out at the view. That was why he came here. The view was great and it was one of the few places where he could go and have a moments peace. It was the perfect place for a private conversation of this importance, at least in his opinion

"So, Hotaru, how do you know that you're," Ranma blushed, "pregnant?"

"I'm a month and a half late with my period, I've been getting sick almost every morning for a month, and three home pregnancy tests can't go wrong. Good enough?" Hotaru responded with surprising frankness.

Ranma gulped. How does one say this right, and not sound like an complete and utter slime? "Hotaru, are you... err... sure it is mine?"

Ranma was lucky. Hotaru did not take it the wrong way, though she did scowl a bit. "Yes Ranma. It is your baby. You were my first," she flushed red and continued, "and my only."

Ranma sighed, and sat down on the roof. So much for that way out. Before his life seemed like a cage to him, trapped on four sides by the four women in his life. His mother, Akane, Ukyo, and Shampoo. Three fiancées and a suicide pact to entrap him and ruin his life.

Now he had to deal with this. The possible roof to his prison that would block out his last view of freedom. She deserved to know what she had been pulled into.

"Hotaru, I'm sorry that you get dragged into this."

Hotaru rolled her eyes. "You're not going off on your Karma again, are you? It can't be _that_ bad."

Really, dramatics a side, she couldn't see his life being any worse then her own.

Ranma laid back and laughed. It was the laugh of the condemned. "Hotaru-chan, you have no idea! I have three fiancées that I know of, probably more out there somewhere. There are countless people out to kill me, I'm cursed, and if I don't live up to my mother's twisted version of manliness I'm honor bound to commit seppuku."

Okay, she decided, thats it. He had to be making this up. This was just too screwed up, even by her rather lax standards of normalcy. While her life was bad, what he just described was beyond twisted. She needed to know more about this whole screwed up fiancée situation, what did he mean curse, and his mother wanted him to do**_what_**?! Hotaru blanched, "Seppuku? Your mother wants you to kill yourself? Is this some kind of sick joke, Ranma? If it is, I'm not laughing."

"A sick joke? No more than the rest of my life." he snorted in disgust, "When my dad dragged me off on that training trip she made us sign a contract that said if I didn't become a 'man among men' we would cut our bellies."

Hotaru looked at him wide eyed. He sounded serious. Deadly serious. Mentally kicking herself for that pun, she realized that he'd told her that the trip had been ten years long. "How old were you?"

"Six."

Hotaru gawked at him. "Six, you were six! She expects you to kill yourself because of something you signed when you were six?" How could any self-respecting mother ask their child to kill themselves, especially over something they signed when they were that young!?

"I didn't exactly sign it," groaned Ranma.

Hotaru gave him a funny look. "What did you do?"

"I put hand prints on it. I think I was just playing in the ink or something," Ranma replied nonchalantly.

Hotaru blinked. He didn't even know what he was doing, and she holds him to it? "Your mother is insane."

"It's even worse with my curse," Ranma replied in a monotone.

Hotaru plopped onto the ground. So far this had been a very strange day, and she had a feeling that it was not done yet. Not by a long shot.

"So what else?" she asked.

Ranma sighed, "Besides the multiple fiancées, and the constant string of people out for my head, not much."

"Explain the fiancées." Hotaru gave him a dirty look. He'd told her that it was his father's fault, but she needed to know details. She didn't think he was lying, but if he was just some form of Casanova who used the situation for his own benefit, he was getting her glaive rammed up somewhere dark and tender... blade first.

"Like I said, it ain't my fault. The first one is the girl you saw at the dojo, Tendo Akane. The second is my childhood buddy, Ukyo. I thought she was a boy Then you have Shampoo, the crazy Amazon chick who's after me because I beat her in a fight."

Now she knew who they were, but how did he get engaged to them. "So how did you get engaged to them."

Ranma scratched the back of his head. "I blame my old man. He engaged me to one of the Tendo daughters before I was even born, but that didn't stop him from engaging me to lots of girls, including Ukyo, for food and stuff. Even the whole Shampoo thing is because of his big stomach."

"Have you slept with any of them?" Hotaru asked pointedly

"Do I look suicidal?" Ranma exclaimed, "Akane would kill me if I tried, the last thing I want to do is make Ukyo and more obsessed with me, and Shampoo would have me on my way to being a house-slave in China faster than you can say 'wo ai ni'!"

Okay, he wasn't a Casanova who used this for his own benefit. Sitting down in the lawn chair, she simply sighed.

"Damn..." This was just too screwed up. What kind of monster was his father? What kind of psychopath was his mother? Hotaru silently swore that she would never let his idiot parents near her baby. That was _if _she decided to have it... the other option, she just did not want to think about.

Ranma smiled thinly. "You have no idea. You just have no idea."

"Before, you mentioned a curse. What we're you talking about?"

"Hold on, I'll be back in a second. It'll be easier if I showed you," said Ranma as he jumped off of the roof.

Hotaru wondered what he was doing. She stood up and walked over to the edge, just in time to see him jump back up. He was holding two beverage bottles.

"What is this about?"

Ranma sighed, "Two years my father took me to a cursed training ground called Jusenkyo. At Jusenkyo there are hundreds of pools, each with it's own curse. If you fall in one of the pools you're cursed to turn into what drowned in it last when you get wet."

Ranma opened and dumped one of the cans, a can of bottled war, over his head, shrinking into his cursed form. "I fell in the Spring of Drowned Girl. Very tragic story."

"My god, you're a Starlight!" He had just turned into a girl. While she was not that surprised, she had seen it before, it was still a bit of shock. Oh well, at least he was cute both ways.

Ranma blinked. "A what?"

"Nothing." she replied quickly, "Personal joke. So, how do you turn back?"

Ranma shrugged and dumped the other bottle, this one of hot tea, over her head, changing back. "Hot water."

Hotaru sat and looked him over. He'd just made it damned clear to her that his life was anything but normal. It made her wonder, how would he react to her secrets? She though for a moment. She couldn't tell him that she was a Sailor Senshi, at least not yet, but she would show him her power of healing.

She sat down and looked at him for a moment. Did he have anything that needed healing? It would be best to ask. "Ranma?"

"Yeah, Hotaru?"

She gulped. She was about to be cast off, she could feel it in her gut, but after what he told her, she felt she needed to at least show her some of what he was getting into. "Do you have any scrapes, bruises, or minor injuries?"

Ranma blinked. "Well, yeah. I was in a fight with my buddy Ryouga a few days ago. He gave me a few good blows to the ribs, and they're still kinda tender."

"Show me," she replied.

Ranma did as he was told and removed his shirt. Hotaru blushed as she saw his physique. Wow, was he was built. On the left side of his torso there was a faded blue discoloration. The remains of what had once been a very nasty bruise, maybe even lightly cracked ribs. Fighting down a blush she placed her hand on his side and used her powers.

Once the injury had faded to a healthy pink she removed her hand and stepped back. Hotaru gulped, and looked at Ranma with pleading eyes.

Please don't reject me. Please don't reject me. Please don't reject me...

Ranma gave his side an experimental poke and blinked. He smiled brightly and looked at Hotaru. "That was cool! How'd ya do it?"

Hotaru's mouth was agape. He was not rejecting her. He actually thought it was cool! "You... you didn't think it was weird?"

Ranma laughed. "Of course not! Do you know how much I wished I could do that? Training would be a lot easier of you could make all your aches, pains, scrapes and bruises vanish when you were done. Hell, do you think could you teach me that technique?"

Hotaru blushed. "Its not a technique, its a power."

"Damn," Ranma replied, "Well maybe If you show it to me enough times I might be able to imitate it!"

Hotaru was blown away. He did not think she was a freak. He actually envied her powers and wanted to learn how to do it! "You don't think I'm a freak?"

Ranma sat down across form her. "Of course not! You have a gift! How could a pretty girl like you ever think she was a freak?"

Hotaru jumped onto Ranma crying in joy. He didn't think she was a freak. He didn't care. Using all of her strength she embraced him. In a joyful voice she said, "Thank you, Ranma."

Ranma's brain ground to a halt. There was a cute girl hanging off of him. No, she was not cute. She was beautiful. And she was hanging off of him. He expected Akane or one of the other girls to show up right about this moment. As she cried on his shoulder he tensed up like a rock. Any moment now, he could just expect it. One of the girls would see them and they'd attack. It was just the way of things.

"Ranma," Hotaru asked, "Are you alright."

"I'm just great," he stammered.

She frowned deeply. The second she touched him, he clammed right up and started franticly looking around. Was there something wrong with her? "Is hugging me really that bad?" she asked with a heavy heart."Am I really that embarrassing?"

"No," Ranma replied, "I'm just... well..."

She crossed her arms and glared at him. "Well, what then?"

He blushed and scratched the back of his head. "I wasn't ready for it. When ever one of the girls tries to hug me or get close to me or anything, one of the others usually shows up and hits me for being a cheating pervert."

She looked at him for a moment and sighed. "You're serious?"

He nodded. "Yeah."

She paused for a moment and stepped towards him. "Ranma, can I have a hug?"

He paused for a moment looking a bit nervous. "What if... I mean, I'm a martial artists. I can take it, but they'd _kill_ you."

Hotaru couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it. Here she was discussing the potential mortal danger involved in an simple affectionate hug. It was pretty depressing really.

"Just give me a hug, please?" She frowned and looked at him with big purple puppy god eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he puts his arms around her. She responded by rapping her arms around him and pressing her head into his chest. He was tense for a moment but slowly she could feel him relax. It was nice. Very nice.

As they held each other he looked down at her for a moment. How could she not see it. The contrast of her white skin and jet black hair made her look aristocratic while at the same time, slightly exotic. She had a kind face, and beautiful. He also noted, with a blush, that she also had a really nice body. She wasn't built like any of the fiancées. They were all martial artists, strong and powerful. Hotaru on the other hand was like a porcelain doll, exquisite but at the same time he was reluctant to touch her for fear she'd break. Her hair was nice too. It was silky and short just was way he liked it. She smelled nice too, like lilacs. He guessed it was her shampoo. All in all though, she wasn't cute. She was _beautiful_.

"Ranma?" Hotaru wispered, pulling away from the hug. "Did you just say something?"

Ranma blushed and looked away. Did he say that too? "It's nothin', Hotaru..."

Hotaru shook her head. "No, you muttered something. What did you say?"

Ranma flushed deeply and mumbled under his breath.

"Louder," Hotaru insisted. "I couldn't hear you."

"Beautiful," he admitted, blushing so brightly one would think he'd been in the sun too long. "I said you're beautiful."

She beamed at him. "You mean it?"

He nodded. "I... well, yeah, I guess I do mean it."

Hotaru squealed in delight and smiled at him, drinking in his image for a long moment. Slowly her expression changed from delighted to mischievous. For a moment Ranma though he saw another look behind that smile. One he though he recognized.

It put a chill up his spine.

"Really?" she asked, slowly.

Ranma nodded. "Yeah?"

Hotaru smiled at him. Ranma gulped. Yeah, now he knew where he recognized the look from...

In a weak, anxious voice Hotaru said, "Prove it. I want you to make love to me."

"You want me to **_what_**?!"


	4. Chapter 3: The Afterglow of Life

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and copyrights. Ranma 1/2 is the creation and intellectual property of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation and intellectual property of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation and intellectual property of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 3: The Afterglow of Life  
by PsyckoSama

Hotaru smiled in a sultrily manner and slowly moved toward Ranma, not unlike how like how a lioness would stalk an especially plump looking gazelle. Slowly, she placed her hand on his chest, pressing down to still him. "I said I want you to prove it."

Ranma stepped back away from her as if she were brandishing some deadly weapon. Oh god. This isn't good. This is so not good. I can't, I just can't.

Hotaru giggled, and walked toward him. She was being slow and sensual, her movements bring attention to her waist and hips. As she moved, she slowly unbuttoned her top, bringing attention to her small but pert breasts. Once again she placed her hand on his chest.

She looked him deeply in the eyes and spoke. Her voice was rough and uncertain and her eyes held both a hunger and a sadness. "Please Ranma. Prove to me that I'm beautiful. Please."

Ranma didn't like this. Oh not one bit. For one, he was running out of roof. Second, he just knew that at least one his of his fiancées would be showing up any moment now. Lastly, he just didn't think that there was anything to prove. She was beautiful for who she was. No amount of sex could ever prove that. Wait! That might work. Now, just how would he tell it to her.

Ranma gulped. "Hotaru... I'm not going to."

Hotaru's head dropped, and she just let herself drop to the roof. Ranma's heart went out to her as he heard her sob lightly.

"Hotaru, it's not your body that makes ya beautiful... well it's a nice one though… err… what I'm trying to say is..."

Hotaru looked up at him through her tears and smiled. It was the tired, weary smile of one who had been through far too much. It made him wince. A girl like Hotaru should never have a smile like that.

Hotaru sighed and spoke, "What are you trying to say Ranma?"

Ranma felt a bit nervious. He hated being in the spotlight, but he had to finish. "Hotaru, yer really pretty but that doesn't make ya beautiful... ok, it does but... err... what I mean is that you're a good person. That's what makes you really beautiful. If we did it, it wouldn't prove nothin' cause you're already you! Ya see?"

Once again Hotaru sighed. She motioned for him to sit near her. While reluctant, Ranma eventually lowered himself to the roof across from her. Once he sat down Hotaru spoke.

Her voice was honest and clear. He could tell that she wanted him to know a truth that she had hoped to keep hidden. She was bearing her soul to him. "Ranma, I'm sorry. I should not have done that. I was not being honest with you. The reason that I want you is not to prove that I'm beautiful. It's much more than that."

Ranma nodded. He did not like how things were going, but at least she was no longer trying to jump his bones. Well, at least not as aggressively.

Hotaru continued to speak, her voice becoming more and more emotional as she spoke. "Ranma, the real reason I asked you is because I want to know what making love is like before I have a child. I can't remember my first time. I want to know what its like! Why should I be denied that experience? Why can't I know love, to be close to another human being!?"

Hotaru began to choke up, and her eyes began to flood with heavy tears. "Besides, I just want I want one happy memory. I don't think I'll be able to go through with an abortion. I'm going to keep the baby, Ranma, and once he is born, I want to be able to look at my child, no, our child and say he is not a mistake! Despite whatever choice we make between ourselves after this, I want to be able to look at our baby and say that he was a product of honest emotion, and not just our little mistake! Please, Ranma."

Ranma just stood rooted in place. How do you react to something this? Deep down he felt she was right. He had already taken so much from her. Her virginity, and soon her reputation. Ranma wondered what to do. To cheat on his fiancées would be dishonorable, but he already had.

Ranma looked side to side for a moment. He was scanning the horizon. He could let no one know. If they found out, then both he and Hotaru would be in a whole world of shit. Sometimes you just have to do what you feel is right, consequences be damned.

"Alright, I'll do it."

------------------------

Ranma stared into the water that he was submerged in. The heat of the bath calmed him, helped him think, not that he had any trouble doing that. He had much to think about.

This had been without a doubt, the most messed up, life altering day since that faithful visit to Jusenkyo. He was going to be a father. Him, a father. This was going to throw his life into a whole now level of disorder. A level which he could only imagine with dread.

He had sex with the girl. Not like before, an innocent mistake that had dishonored them both, but real consensual sex. It had been nice. Really, really nice, but was it worth all this?

His life was about to get worse. What kind of father could he be? The only example he had was his Old Man, an object lesson of how _not_ to raise a child. Would he end up a cowardly shell of a man like Genma?

No, he would never be like his father! He would do the right thing. But what was the right thing? He knew that it would never be right for him to leave Hotaru to face the music alone. He should be there beside her to take responsibility for his action. On the same note his was afraid.

At times he could barely keep himself safe. Fighting off Ryouga, the Kunos, Mousse, Happousai, his Old Man, and every other would be fiancée, challenger, and crazy on the planet was not easy. How the hell would he defend Hotaru and their child?

At least Akane was a martial artist. While she was light years from his level, she was still in the world's top 1. She could defend herself to a point. Hotaru on the other hand was just a sickly but otherwise normal girl, and their child would be completely helpless.

Was it right for him to drag Hotaru and their child into his world? Beyond that was honor, Saotome family honor and the honor of the girls to whom he was engaged. He also was concerned about them. What about their feelings, their honor? He would have to choose. Something he had hoped to hold off as long as possible. Unfortunately it seemed that Kami-sama had just removed that final option.

He was confused and needed an opinion. Someone to talk to. Almost everyone he knew was biased, clueless, or just didn't care. Oh hell, he decided that he would talk to his mom. She might be a crazy, but sadly enough she was both the most level headed and honorable person he knew.

Sad thing, that.

------------------------

Hotaru beamed as she opened her front door. She had been reliving the experience her entire trip home. So that was what making love was like. What it was like to be with another person. To share with them the most intimate of bonds possible, to not be alone and rejected.

Hotaru signed longingly. It was like nothing she had ever done before. He didn't reject her. He treated her gently and with respect. He was kind, honest, and cute. Was this emotion she felt love? If it was love, then what kind. Was this the kind of puppy love that Minako and Makoto felt for every cute boy on the street, or was it something more?

Hotaru cleared her mind. It would not do to stand in the door all day. She walked into the house, headed toward the bath. She was a mess, and needed to clean up.

"Hello Hotaru-chan," said Michiru from the kitchen. Hotaru had been so lost her own thoughts that she had not seen her.

Hotaru smiled brightly at her mother figure. "Hello Michiru-mama."

Michiru smiled at her daughter in return. It was obvious that she was happy to see Hotaru in higher spirits. "So Hotaru, how was to trip?"

Hotaru blushed and smiled coyly, "It was fun. Very eventful. Haruka-papa would have loved it. There were just so many martial artists."

Michiru nodded in agreement. "I'm sure Haruka would have loved it, but I still don't understand why you were so insistent to go there in the first place."

"Besides papa and me, none of the Senshi are really able to hold their own in hand to hand combat. I wanted to see if any of the martial artists there might be willing to help us."

Michiru scowled. "You didn't tell any of them you were Sailor Saturn, did you?"

"No," she replied, "Of course not."

Michiru nodded. "Alright. That was a very good idea, though I don't understand why you were so hellbent on going there on your own."

Hotaru fought a blush. Damn it. "Oh mama, I'm getting older now! I'm about to turn sixteen! There are just some things you want to do on your own when you turn my age."

Michiru nodded knowingly, after all, she was only twenty. She should understand. "Hotaru, I understand. It's just that it is so hard letting go. I remember you when you were still a baby. They say 'they grow up fast', but I don't think anyone has ever seen their baby go from infant to teenager in three years!"

Hotaru groaned internally. She loved her mama very much but sometimes she could be too much. Oh well, she should have some sympathy. She would be going through the same experience in about a decade and a half.

"Michiru-mama, I would like to take a bath now. I'll tell you all about my trip", sans a few important details, "once I'm done my bath! Okay?"

Michiru nodded. "Okay, Hotaru. Take your bath and then you can tell me all about your trip to Nerima."

Hotaru smiled. That would give her time to make something up. She turned around to walk up the steps, and ran straight into Setsuna.

"Oh, excuse me Setsuna-mama!"

Setsuna looked down on Hotaru. The look in her eyes could only be described as 'knowing'. It freaked Hotaru out. "Hello Hotaru. Sorry to be in you way."

Hotaru gulped and ran up stairs to take her bath.

Michiru blinked. For a moment Hotaru has seemed so content, so happy, but Setsuna did something to put her on edge.

Setsuna smiled coyly and looked up the stairs. "Ah, they grow up so fast... "

Michiru was confused. She knew that Setsuna was not talking about Hotaru's accelerated growth, so what could it be. "What do you mean by that?" she inquired.

Setsuna laughed deeply. "You couldn't see it on her face? Oh well, I guess its one of those things that comes with age."

Michiru scowled, what did Setsuna mean? "What are you talking about?"

Setsuna shook her head. "It looks to me like our little Hotaru-chan just got laid."

Michiru froze like a deer in headlights. Her little Hotaru-chan, the little baby she held in her arms just three years ago having sex? She couldn't believe it, she wouldn't. But now she looked back on it, she did recognize that smile...

------------------------

Ranma looked out the bathroom door to see if the coast was clear. He had cheated and used the Umisenken the sneak into the house undetected. While he could understand, and agree, with his father sealing the uncompromisingly deadly Yamasenken, he saw no point in keeping a useful and comparatively harmless set of stealth techniques sealed. Besides, the Umisenken invisibility technique must have saved his ass at least a dozen times.

Seeing that th coast clear Ranma snuck out of the bathroom. He slowly walked toward his room. I need to study, don't need to deal with Akane...

"Ranma!"

Shit.

Akane slowly stomped toward Ranma, she did not sound happy "Who was that girl, and what were you doing. Well Ranma?"

Oh, no one in particular Akane, just the mother of my child. Oh, and we were fucking like a a pair of bunnies. Yeah, as if. He wasn't stupid, nor suicidal enough to tell her the truth. Time to bullshit. "Oh, she was just a friend."

Akane twitched. "Just a friend? Like Ukyo is 'just a friend'?" Ranma winced as she saw Akane's fist clench. Think fast Saotome!

Ranma groaned. "Come on Akane! It's not like that!" well, it was actually, his mind added. "She is just someone I met at school!"

"She looked a little young to be a college student," Akane hissed.

"She was visiting," Ranma replied. "She isn't a student."

Akane blue rage filled Battle aura sprung to full glow. In a voice quivering with 'righteous anger' she hissed, "Great Ranma, now you hitting on young girls?" and with a cry of "Ranma you pervert!" she decked him, sending him into the back wall. Satisfied with the effect, Akane turned around and stomped down the steps in a huff.

With an aggravated growl Ranma pulled himself from the cracked plaster and dented drywall that was once part of the hallway. He lightly chucked to himself. This was ironically enough, the first time he ever actually deserved it for 'being a pervert'.

With a shrug, Ranma walked down the stairs. He was almost immediately confronted by his Old Man and Mr. Tendo. Time for the moronic duo double team!

"Ranma! How dare you cheat on my little girl!" screamed Soun.

"Ranma you ungrateful boy! Prove you honor and marry Akane!"

Ranma was in no mood for this. His life was going to hell, he had no idea of how to properly handle this, and the absolute last thing he needed to deal with was this pair of mental midgets.

If to make matters worse, a cry of "Swetto!" resounded through the halls and a bucket full of water later, Happousai was firmly attached to Onna-Ranma's torso.

The aged pervert gave her ample bosom a firm squeeze and gleefully commented, "Well now Ranma! I think your still developing! They just keep getting bigger!"

Ranma twitched. She hated her life. She hated this body. She hated the situations in which she had been placed thanks to her idiot old man, and she really hated this perverted old master and his wandering hands.

Ranma pulled back her hand to punch of old pervert, but was suddenly struck with an idea. It was cruel, it was sadistic, and it was divine retribution.

Through grinding teeth she called up her most saccharine voice. "Oh, Happy..."

Happousai looked up, from his place, nestled in her cleavage. "Yes Ranma?"

Ranma detached the old pervert from her chest and held him at arms length. "Lets you and I make a deal."

Happousai smiled brightly, his gears obviously turning, "What kind of deal..."

Ranma smirked at look at her Old Man and Mr. Tendo. Both of whom were being overcome with visible amounts of dread. "I'll pose in a bra for you, but under one condition..."

Happousai jumped down from her arms as stood up as tall as he could. "Anything! I'll do anything you ask!"

In a calm, horrified voice Genma whispered, "Son, what are you doing?"

She glanced toward Soun and Genma, smiling like a shark. "I think that my Old Man and Tendo-san have been growing lax in their skills."

Happousai nodded sadly, "Your right, they're nothing compared to what they were like in their prime." he suddenly burst into tears and continued, "Oh, what did I do to deserve such weak, useless disciples as them!"

Ranma smiled even brighter at this reaction. "They don't have to be. They have been getting lax on their training. They have become fat and _happy_."

Happousai smacked his fist into his hand, "Of course! It just can't do for two masters of the Anything Goes style to become weak and fat! For the good of the school this disgrace must be corrected! What these two idiots need is a good training trip!"

Both Genma and Soun started to back up, their faces masks of horror and silent dread.

"Not only that," continued Ranma, "But you have twelve years of lost time to make up for! They also need discipline! They can't even stand up to you when your drunk, and they show you no respect! What self respecting master could ever allow behavior like that?"

The aged pervert nodded, "Ranma my boy, your right! I'll make this trip the best ever!" turning toward his students, he continued, "If you thought your trips before were bad, they were just warm-ups for this one!"

His voice shaking, Genma turned to his son turned daughter, tears in his eyes. He looked like a man condemned. "Why Ranma? Why are you doing this to me? What monstrous sin have I done that makes me deserve this horrible fate?" While Genma spoke Soun sat on his knees crying full blow about how he was never going to see his little girls again.

"Oh, quit bitching you two!" cried Happousai. "We're leaving tomorrow!"

Ranma quickly slipped out of the house. That had to have been the most blatantly cruel thing he had done in all of his 18 years of life. He knew it was wrong on so many levels, but then why did it feel so right? Paybacks a bitch, ain't it? At least is would keep them out of his hair long enough to sort this out.

------------------------

Hotaru sighed in pleasure as she slipped into the tub. The hot water just washed away all of aches and pains just leaving her in a blissful state of utter contentment.

She felt more in control, more adult. While she was still afraid, she was no longer as confused. At least she could tell herself that she was responsible for the consequences of her actions, and was not just an innocent victim of a stupid mistake. She was no longer just a spectator in her fate. She was a participant.

She knew that this wouldn't remove the problems at hand. She was going to be a teen mother, something not exactly something accepted by society. She could kiss her public image good bye, but if that is what it takes than it wouldn't be much of a loss. Besides, it wasn't like her public face was anything to be proud of.

She had come to at least one important decision. She was keeping the baby, consequences be damned. She would not live up to her reputation. She was not just a soulless killer, like the other Senshi sometimes feared she could become. She was a human being, goddamn it! She could love, she could hate, and her only choice didn't have to be death. She was not going to kill her child just because it happened to be convenient thing to do.

As she soaked, he mind drifted to Ranma. He was so amazing to her. So unlike the ignorant, close minded boys at her school. He was willing to ignore her reputation and see the real her. He envied her powers too. While he did not know the price, she was flattered. He had called them a gift. He had also called her beautiful, not cute, but beautiful! Did he really think she was that kind of girl, beautiful and gifted?

She giggled to herself. Chibi-Usa, and the other Inners Senshi, especially Makoto and Minako would be so jealous! Here they are fawning over every cute guy they see with no luck, but she got such a sweetie by act of fate! He was so handsome, so kind, and so skilled. A naughty smile crossed her face. Oh yes, he was _very_ skilled...

Jokes aside, his skill level was disturbing to her. He could jump tall building with ease and she still shuddered when she remembered that mailbox. How what it possible for a normal human being to do that? Was he really just a powerful martial artist, or something more? It scared her, while at the same time excited her. The danger of the unknown.

His curse also interested her. Being raised by Haruka and Michiru must have had some effect on her, made her more open minded. While she knew damn well that she liked boys, she had to admit, having a lover that was both could lead to some very... _interesting_ experiments.

She sighed and looked down. What about him? How would this affect his life, their child's life. Would he really be willing to settle down with a girl he'd just really met? And what if the things he said were true? Was he willing to commit himself to the chaos of _her_ life?

It was killing him. She could tell that it was killing him. The way he spoke, acted when he talked. His life was slowly tearing his apart. Was she willing to further entrap him, to throw yet another bucket of dirt on his grave? No! She hoped that he would choose her, but she would not force him. She did not want to force him. She wanted him to choose on his own.

They had agreed to meet tomorrow night, to see if either had come up with something. She hoped he did.

As Hotaru thought about the future of her life, Michiru snuck into the room. Was their any proof, and evidence? She would never confront Hotaru on just speculation. She had to know.

She shifted through Hotaru's clothing for only a moment before she felt something. Slimy and sticky. He lifted the article of clothing. It was Hotaru's panties.

She stiffened up as she looked at the soiled silk underclothing. The violet cloth was moist and stained white. The most simple and damning piece of evidence one could find.

She slowly creepy out the door holding the piece of clothing. Her lip lifted into a dull twitch when she heard the closing of the door downstairs. Haruka was home. Oh, when her little girl got out of the bath they were going to have a very, very long talk about this.

------------------------

The lost boy smiled. He saw him, the cause of his suffering, the creator of his torment, and the only person who could give him a run for his money. It was time for retribution, time to cause him pain, time to enjoy the Art in its rawest, most visceral form. With a joyful rage, Ryouga bound into the air, intent of getting a good fight out of his rival. "Saotome Ranma, prepare to die!"

Ranma sighed and jumped to the side, while the fence that he was running across was shredded by the force of the lost boy's blow. Hibiki Ryouga snarled and turned to he rival, he eyes promising death.

"Hey Ryouga, could we _please_ do this later? I really got a lot on my mind."

Ryouga roared and anger and swung at him, "Ranma! Because of you I've seen hell!"

Ranma glared at him. "Ryouga! Give me a break! This is important! I'll fight you, but not now. Make an honorable challenge, or attack me in a few days, but not right now!"

Ryouga blinked and lowered his umbrella. Ranma never turned down their one of fights. This just wasn't part of the game! Usually he would attack, Ranma would bitch that he didn't want a fight, call him P-chan, and then they would rumble. With just a touch of concern in his voice for his rival and sometimes friend, Ryouga said, "Hey, Ranma? You okay?"

Ranma shook his head, "No. I'm not okay. I'm very, very far from okay."

Ryouga gawked for a moment. This was not the same aggravating egotist he usually fought, this Ranma was depressed and confused. Ranma was acting more like him then he did! "What is it?"

Ranma just looked at him. It was as if he was thinking, trying to come to a choice. "Ryouga. I want you to give me you word as a martial artist and a man that you will not attack me or repeat anything I'm about to say."

Ryouga nodded.

"Also, If you go back on your word, I will no longer be honor bound to keep your secret safe. I will tell Akane about P-chan. Do you understand me?"

Ryouga stared at Ranma. Was the secret that big? What could it be? He wanted to know, and he was damn well going to follow his word. He did not want a case of death by Tendo. "Ok, I give you my word."

Ranma nodded and motioned for Ryouga to follow him. He bound up onto the roof of a nearby office building and leaned back ageist a wall. He looked up to his rival with tired eyes. "Ryouga, I cheated on Akane. I had sex with another girl."

Ryouga clenched his fist. Mustn't kill! Mustn't kill! Mustn't kill! Ryouga twitched, trying to keep his rage in check, "Go on, Saotome..."

Ranma sighed, "That ain't the half of it... she's pregnant man, she's gonna have my kid!"

Ryouga twitched again. This self control thing was not all it was cracked up to be, but at least he knew why Ranma would tell his secret. If Ryouga talked, then Ranma would talk, then he would be in the grave right next to Ranma's. "What do you plan on doing about this, you pervert?"

Ranma looked up toward Ryouga, "Hey man, it's not what you think. It was not my fault, at least it wasn't when the mess got started."

Ryouga was unconvinced, "You better explain this one good Saotome, or I'll kill you myself."

Ranma shook his head. "Yep, thats the Ryouga I know." He leaned back then began, "It started about two months ago..."

------------------------

Hotaru smiled as she walked down the steps. Her smiled faded as she saw her parent-figures standing at the bottom of the steps. It was obvious that they were angry about something.

"Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, what's wrong?" she inquired.

Without missing a beat Haruka spoke. "Hotaru, who is the boy?" she demanded.

Hotaru gulped. "Papa, there is not a boy!"

Haruka growled, and produced a pair of soiled panties. "Who is the boy?"

Hotaru eyes almost bugged out of her head. The jig was up.

"Oh, fuck..."


	5. Chapter 4: Truth

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights holders. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and ideas.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 4: Truth  
by PsyckoSama

Haruka gave Hotaru a harsh glare, "I think you've been doing quite enough of that already, thank you very much."

Michiru crossed her arms looking rather disappointed. "So, is that all you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

Hotaru gulped. Okay, she was knee deep in it this time. How would she keep her secret? What would they do? Damn it! She was not ready for this! Hotaru sniffed and looked down. What could she say without damning herself immediately? "Err... I think so."

Haruka's eyes narrowed but she was silenced by a wave from Michiru. "Hotaru. We're worried about you. You're to young too be having sex."

Hotaru scowled. Oh, that was rich. "Mama, how old were you when you started having sex?"

Michiru sank back for a second. "Sixteen..."

Hotaru smirked. "Exactly! Who are you to talk? I'll be sixteen in a month. How am I too young?"

Michiru lowered her head, "Hotaru, we're just trying to protect you..."

Hotaru narrowed her eyes. "Protect me from what?"

"Yourself!" cut in Haruka. "Let me guess: the reason why you went to Nerima was so you could sneak off and fuck your boyfriend! Someone who is old enough to have sex should have outgrown sneaking off and secret boyfriends."

"As opposed to sneaking off and fucking my secret girlfriend?" Hotaru remarked.

"A boyfriend _and_ a girlfriend?" Haruka exclaimed, having obviously missed the sarcasm, "What are you, some kind of sex fiend?"

"Argh!" Hotaru exclaimed, "No! It's not like that!"

"Okay then, just what was it like?"

Hotaru glared. She hated being mean and sarcastic, but the more off center she could keep these two, the better her chances of deflecting the real questions would be. In a dreamy voice she said, "It was great. He does this wonderful thing with his tongue..."

Haruka screamed in exasperation. "Not that! I don't want the fucking details! How did it come about?!"

"What? Do I have to report every aspect of my life to you now like a good little soldier?"

Haruka face stiffened and her glare started drilling into Hotaru. "If you're going to be baka enough to not use protection, then yes, maybe you should."

Hotaru gulped and looked at Haruka through pleading eyes. Please don't go there, nothing good will come of it.

"That is why you are too immature for this. When your mama and I had sex, when we were younger, there was never any threat of pregnancy. We're both women, it just doesn't work that way." Haruka walked toward her daughter and looked down, towering over her. "You, on the other hand, are dating a _man_. You _can_ get pregnant! How long have you known him anyways?"

Hotaru was frozen. Her stomach was twisting, she was light headed, and she was doing her best to avoid bursting into tears. "Two... two months, Papa."

"Two months! Are you ready to marry this boy, cause that is what you'll have to do if you get knocked up..."

Hotaru had decided that it was the best option. She hoped he would ask her, their child deserved a father. She also had a purely selfish reason as well. She did not want to be alone anymore. Ranma actually nice to her too and didn't fear her powers. It also did not hurt that he had a really cute butt, no matter his form.

Without thinking, she blurted out, "If he asks." After a moment, she winced. Considering the situation, it was not a bright thing to say.

Haruka growled in exasperation. "That's fucking wonderful! Girls now a days!"

Hotaru looked up. Now this was stupid. "Haruka-papa, you're less than five years older then I am."

Haruka snarled at having her words thrown back in her face. "Well, Hotaru, what if you get pregnant and he doesn't marry you? Your honor will be ruined, that's what. Your only real choice would be an abortion!"

Hotaru froze and her hand unconsciously lowered to her stomach. No! She was not going to get an abortion. She'd had enough death in he life, she was not going to kill her baby! The simple fact that Haruka had suggested it was a personal insult, but she stood fast.

"Even if you got married you would have to drop out of school, and if he didn't your reputation would be ruined. You would be thought of as no better then those little sluts who whore themselves at the bars downtown! Well, Hotaru, you want to end up like that?"

Hotaru could no longer stand what Haruka was saying. The shock was too great. Tears started to stream from her eyes. As she though about what Haruka had said, the thin veiner of confidence she'd built up over the past hours began to crack and fall away. Was she just a little whore who had ruined her life? Would she ever be able to amount to something? Was she really that pathetic? Why would anyone want a pitiful case like her?

Hotaru released a cry of bitter anguish and pushed her way past her parents. Ignoring their calls, she ran out the door, into the night street.

------------------------

"It started about two months ago a friend from school, you know, one of the American overseas students, invited me to a party at one of the dorms."

Ryouga gave Ranma a feral grin and cracked his knuckles. "Yeah, Ranma, and how does that make cheating on Akane and knockin' up some poor girl not your fault?"

Ranma glared at Ryouga. Could the pig shut up for a second so he could explain? "Hey, I was getting to that! So he invited me to this party. Okay, at the party they had booze. Lots of booze."

Ryouga rolled his eyes, "What? You gonna tell me that you got drunk? You don't drink, Ranma."

Ranma rolled his eyes and reached into his shirt. "I don't smoke, neither," he said as he lit up a cigarette with burst of Ki.

Ryouga gawked. "When the hell did you start smoking?"

Ranma shrugged and took a drag. "I'm not sure. I think it was before my fight with that Akuma guy, but after I rescued Akane from the Squirrel King... Anyways, I only smoke when in need to settle my nerves."

Ryouga raided an eyebrow. "Pack a day?"

"Sometimes," replied Ranma.

"That sucks. Those things'll kill ya."

Ranma rolled his eyes. "So will crazy Amazons, violent tomboys, obsessive chefs, crazy rivals..." he paused and glanced over. "Hey, speaking of crazy rivals, what do you care?"

Ryouga gave Ranma a wide, predatory grin showing his fangs. "That's my job."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. So where was I?"

"You were getting drunk..."

Ranma leaned back and continued his tale. "I was not getting drunk. At least not yet. They tried to rope me into drinking with them, but after only two or three of shots of some nasty crap they called 'Moonshine', I decided to give that up. It was then that I saw a cute girl hanging around the punch bowl. She looked lonely and out of place, so I went over to talk to her. You know, cheer her up. Well, we were both glad to have someone who was not drinking their ass off to talk to. We grabbed some punch and spent a while hanging around. We talked, but eventually things started to blur out."

Ryouga gave Ranma a funny look. "Saotome, I though you said you stopped drinking?"

Ranma chucked, and took a drag of his cigarette. "Remember the saying 'don't drink the punch'?"

Ryouga nodded, "Yeah..."

"We drank the punch."

"Oh... then?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "I woke up in bed with her. That's what!"

Ryouga sighed. In a regretful, but at the same time amused tone he said, "Well... this sucks. It really ain't you fault. Now I can't kill ya."

Ranma plinked and placed his hand on Ryouga's forehead. "You sick man? I thought I just hear you not blame me for something."

Ryouga growled and pulled Ranma's hand off of his head. "What, you want me to blame you?" He paused for a moment then continued, "So, how do you know she's pregnant?"

"I was getting to that. When we woke up I kinda freaked... so did she. After we got out wits together, we talked for a little while, and told each other a little bit about ourselves and I told her where to find me if she ever needs help. Earlier today she showed up and told me she was gonna have my kid."

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

Ranma rubbed his temple, "I have no idea. Absolutely no idea. I want to do the right thing but, what is it man? I still have three fiancées, challengers every week, and rivals out to kill me. How can I drag her into it?"

Ryouga shook his head, "Don't be an idiot, Saotome. That is not your choice. You're not going to chicken out on this one, cause if you do _I WILL KILL YOU_!"

Ranma though about what Ryouga said. The fool was right. He could explain things to her but beyond that it was her choice, not his. Ranma smiled at his rival. "Thanks Ryouga."

Ryouga blinked. "Saotome, did you just thank me for something?"

Ranma nodded. "Yeah. Ya really helped me out." Ranma paused for a moment. "So how is Akari?"

"Don't even ask..." growled Ryouga.

Ranma blinked. Oh, well best not to get pig-boy started. "So... I'm headed to my mom's. See ya Ryouga," said Ranma as he jumped to his feet but was stopped by Ryouga's hand on his shoulder.

"No way Ranma. I will not be letting you out of my sight. I'm going to be you conscience. You do something wrong and I'll send you to hell."

Ranma looked in Ryouga's eyes for a moment. The lost boy was serious. "Fine. Just keep up. I'm not going to be waiting around for you." With that out of the way, Ranma bound off the roof with a cry of, "You coming, Porkchop?"

"Don't call me Porkchop!" growled Ryouga as he pursued.

------------------------

Chibi-Usa smiled as she breathed in the crisp night air. She liked the past. Everything was just so simple. She was free to just be Chibi-Usa, a normal fourteen year old school girl, and not Neo-Princess Serenity. Here, she could just lay back, have friends, and enjoy life.

Tonight she was visiting her best friend, Hotaru. While she was not exactly fond of the long trip to Hotaru's house, as it was either a long walk or an expensive subway ticket, it was well worth it to see her.

Chibi-Usa was knocked out of her train of thought and onto her ass as she turned the corner onto Hotaru's street. She scowled as she got to her feet. Whoever that was, is really going to get some lip.

"I'm sorry..." whimpered the crying girl who had knocked her over.

She froze. She knew that voice better then any other. In a flash, Chibi-Usa was bent over helping the girl up. "Hotaru-chan? What's wrong?"

Hotaru looked up and threw herself into her friend's arms. She began sobbing out everything that happened at home. Hotaru's voice was too fast and choked up for Chibi-Usa to understand even a fraction of what she was saying. The words she did hear, such as 'whore', 'baby', and 'abortion' really alarmed her. She was getting a very, very bad feeling about this.

She gave her friend a tight hug then pushed her away so she could look her in the eyes. "Hotaru, lets go to the park, okay?"

Hotaru nodded and spent the entire walk crying on her best friend's shoulder. When they arrived, Chibi-Usa sat down on a bench and guided Hotaru next to her.

Hotaru nodded lightly and sat on the bench.

"Hotaru, could you please start from the beginning?"

She looked at her friend through tear-filled eyes and whispered something. Chibi-Usa sighed, and gave her friend a hug. She looked like she needed another one. "Hotaru, I'm sorry but I couldn't hear you."

Hotaru nodded and started to sob once more. After a few moments she spoke again. Her voice was low and unsure, but Chibi-Usa was able to make it out. It was sure as hell not what she'd expected to hear.

"I'm pregnant."

Her best friend was what?! Chibi-Usa felt her body go numb with shock. Hotaru told her everything, and nothing she remembered from the future had ever pointed even vaguely in this direction. "How?" Chibi-Usa managed to choke out.

Hotaru sighed, and looked toward her friend. "Remember that party, the one two months ago?"

Chibi-Usa nodded. Hotaru had been so excited. One of the boys from her school had asked her to come to a party with him. Though, afterwards, she had uncharacteristically refused to say much about it.

"The reason he invited me was because it was a college party, he needed to bring a girl to get in. He guessed that I would jump at a chance to go on a date. He... needed a girl that the college guys could get drunk and..."

Chibi-Usa gasped. "Hotaru, you didn't!"

Hotaru sighed and nodded. "Yes, I did, but not quite how you think. When we arrived he left me at the punch bowl and walked off. I stood there for a while, telling drunk frat boys to leave me along and being uncomfortable. That was until Ranma came over. He was really sweet, though kind of awkward, and he did not fit in either. We talked for a while and had some snacks and punch. I think the punch must have been spiked because I woke up the next morning in bed with him in one of the dorm rooms."

Chibi-Usa scowled. "Sounds to me like he was just trying to get you to trust him so he could take advantage of you."

Hotaru shook her head. "No, no he wasn't. When we woke up Ranma was as freaked out as I was. After a few minutes, we managed to calm each other down. We talked for a while, and he told me where to find him if I ever needed help with anything. Someone looking for a one night stand would never do that."

Putting aside her skepticism, Chibi-Usa inquired, "So, this 'Ranma' is the father of your baby?"

Hotaru nodded.

Chibi-Usa sighed and slowly started to digest the information. It was hard to chew. "When did you find out?"

Hotaru wiped her face with her shirt sleeve and continued, "The night before last, but I have been suspecting for weeks."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"I... I was hoping that I was just sick... that my period was just late... I didn't want to believe it.."

Chibi-Usa paused for a few moments then look towards Hotaru. "Does he know?"

Hotaru sighed, "Yes... that's how..." Hotaru looked down and started to cry. "That's how I got into the mess I'm in now."

"What mess?"

Hotaru's wiped her eyes, but the tears continued to come. "When I went to see him... he was kind to me and didn't reject me. He said I was beautiful." Hotaru blushed, but continued, "Chibi-Usa, I seduced him. I didn't remember our night together, and wanted to know what being with a man was like, so we made love..."

Chibi-Usa shallowly nodded to her friend. While she could understand Hotaru's need for secrecy, she wished Hotaru had told her. They were best friends and she wanted to be there for her. She blushed and looked at Hotaru, "So... what was it like?"

Hotaru giggled, "It was like nothing I've ever done before. Ranma's amazing! He knows the female body in a way no man ever could, and boy can you tell!"

Chibi-Usa cocked her head in confusion. "He knows the female body in a way no man ever could? What do you mean by that?"

Hotaru looked at Chibi-Usa for a second, then spoke. "His life is... well... not much different then ours. He has been forced to deal with a lot of weird stuff. One of the stranger things about him is his curse."

"Curse?" inquired Chibi-Usa.

"He's kind of like the Starlights. He turns into a girl when he gets wet."

Chibi-Usa gave Hotaru an incredulous look. "Did he prove it to you?"

"Yes," replied Hotaru, "He dumped some water on his head, and I watched him shrink into a cute redhead with my own eyes!"

Chibi-Usa nodded. She had been through stranger. She could believe that Hotaru's 'boyfriend' had that kind of curse. Such oddity was probably a requirement for having a relationship with a Sailor Senshi. One question was still on her mind though. "Why are you so upset? Did your family find out?"

Hotaru looked down and started to cry again, "They found out about Ranma and me. Haruka-papa was so cruel!"

Whatever Haruka had said really hit Hotaru hard. Chibi-Usa silently swore that she would not let her get away with out a swift boot in the ass.

Chibi-Usa embraced her friend. She turned her head to Hotaru's ear and said. "I love you Hotaru. You're the sister I never had. I'll always be there for you and your baby."

"Thank you...," sniffed Hotaru. The Senshi of Saturn stood up and turned to her friend. It was obvious that she was ready for more questions.

"How did they find out?"

"They... saw the stains on my panties. After we made love I didn't exactly have a chance to take a bath before getting home. Somehow they knew to check the hamper." Hotaru sighed. "So much for trust," she snorted.

"Do they know... about the baby?"

Hotaru's tears began to flow once again. "No... and how could I tell them? You didn't hear the things Haruka-papa said! Would they hate me? I want to keep my baby, Chibi-Usa! I've had enough death in my life. I don't want to kill my child too. But... the things Haruka-papa said..."

Chibi-Usa shushed her friend with a raised hand. "Come on, Hotaru. You can come to my place. I think we should talk to my mom about this. She might know what to do. Tell her what you told me, okay?"

Hotaru smiled and nodded. "Okay. Thank you, Chibi-Usa. You're always there for me."

Chibi-Usa giggled then started pulling her friend along. "That's what friends are for!" As they walked, her eyes narrowed, and her mouth twisted into a perverted glance. "So, exactly what was it like with Ranma? I want _all_ the details!"

Hotaru smiled and blushed, "Well..."

------------------------

Ranma gulped as he pressed the doorbell of his childhood home. Now he had to talk with his mother. While Ryouga gave him some ideas, and an 'incentive' to do the right thing, it would be he mother who had the greatest say about his fate. She would know what would preserve honor.

Nodoka quickly answered the door. Her face filled with joy the moment she saw who her visitor. "Ranma! How are you, my son!" She quickly yanked Ranma into the house, but paused when she saw Ryouga. She recognized him as one of the boys who was always fighting with her son. "Ranma, isn't this one of your adversaries?" she said in a stern voice.

"Yeah mom..." replied Ranma.

Nodoka looked over the fanged boy with a very critical eye. She remembered this boy. He and her son were always fighting, and they could cause a great deal of damage. She did not want that in her home, especially after the last time. "You may come into my home, young man. But you will not lay a hand on my son or damage my house or its contents. If you can't control yourself I will ask you to leave."

Ryouga gulped. He was obliviously unnerved by the severity of the look that she was giving him. "I agree, Saotome-san."

Ranma quickly jumped to Ryouga's defense. It was obvious from his tone and posture that he thought Nodoka was overestimating the problem. "Mom, give Ryouga a break. We go a long ways back. To tell you the truth, me and him..."

"He and I," corrected Nodoka. "A manly man is one with proper grammar."

Ranma scratched the back of his head and continued, "Err... ok. Well, we're rivals, Mom. We may like to kick the shit out of each other, but he's my friend."

Nodoka scowled. She hated it when he cursed, but really couldn't blame him. He was raised by Genma, and her husband could have a very foul mouth at times.

Ryouga blinked for a moment but said nothing. Nodoka on the other hand turned her head to Ryouga and smiled. "You are my son's friend?"

Ryouga nodded. "I guess so, Saotome-san."

Nodoka smiled and shook her head. He was her son's friend, no need for such formality. "Please call me Auntie Saotome."

Ryouga blinked and shook his head, like he was both flattered and confused. "Okay... Auntie Saotome."

Nodoka smiled serenely and led the two to the living room. Moments later she returned with tea and snacks. One of the most important things to Nodoka was being a proper hostess.

Once she was seated, Nodoka asked her son, "Ranma, I am very happy to see you. What can I do for you?"

Ranma gulped and looked down. "Mom, I'm in trouble..."

Ryouga glared at Ranma. "No kidding."

"What kind of trouble?" Nodoka's eye focused sharply on Ranma and after a moment she took a guess. There were few things that could upset Ranma like this. If Akane was kidnapped then he would be off rescuing her. If it was a challenger then he would be fighting or training for a rematch. No, there was only one thing that could distress her manly young man like this. "Another fiancée?"

"Something like that," replied the youth.

While Ranma was disturbed by his mess of fiancées, most of them thanks  
to her foolish husband, she was proud that he son could attract so many women. Unfortunately his answer was far from sufficient. "Please, explain."

"I... kinda... well..." Ranma gulped and looked down.

Nodoka frowned, whatever it was it really was hurting her boy. "Please continue, Ranma."

Ranma sighed and just spit it out. "I kinda... knocked a girl up."

Nodoka's went wide. Her mind raced with possibilities. As she stood there blankly, Ranma began to get more and more nervous.

"Ranma..." said Nodoka, her voice low and contemplative.

"Yeah, Mom..." replied Ranma. He was obviously nervous and was sweating heavily.

"You're so manly!" cried Nodoka as she jumped forward and embraced her son.

"Mom?"

Nodoka stepped back, her face glowing with happiness. "I'm going to be a grandmother!"

Ranma blinked. This is not what he had been expecting. "Well, yeah..."

Nodoka began questioning him at almost mind numbing speeds. "Who's the lucky mother, Ranma? Is it Akane-chan, or that boyish chef...? It better not be that silly gaijin girl. She would never make a proper wife..."

"Mom..." interrupted Ranma.

Nodoka paid her son no heed and continued her rampant chatter. "Anyways, while it was manly of you to pleasure a woman, it was irresponsible to forget to use protection."

"Mom!" yelled Ranma. He really wanted her to listen to the rest of the story.

"Yes, my oh-so-manly son?" Nodoka replied, her voice dripping with pride.

"Ranma, your mom's scary" Ryouga whispered in his rival's ear.

Ranma gave Ryouga a quick nod in agreement then acknowledged his mother. "She is not one of my fiancées."

Nodoka scowled. It was obvious that she was still happy, but her disappointment was obvious. "Ranma, while it is manly for you to seek the company of women, you have placed this family in a very delicate situation."

"I know."

"It is a matter of family honor that a Saotome marry a Tendo," replied Nodoka.

Ranma scowled, it was time to make a point. "What about the other two or three dozen engagements that my Old Man made? What makes them any different? Those were nothing but the Old Man's bullshit. What the hell do I have to stick to this one?"

Nodoka nodded. "I know, my son. I would like to ask your friend to step out for a moment." She turned to Ryouga, "I wish to speak to my son alone."

Ranma stood up and turned to his mother. "Can we talk outside mom?"

She nodded, "Very well, son."

"Ryouga, wait here. Don't go anywhere."

Ryouga growled but did as he was told.

Once the mother and son duo were outside, and sitting down, Nodoka began. "Our family honor is in a very difficult situation thanks to your father. He has run our name through the dirt for the last ten years. I do realize this. I almost hate Genma for it, but I see little way out of it. I have to preserve what little honor your father has left us with."

Ranma nodded, "And that is why you were so obsessed with that damn contract?"

Nodoka nodded. "Yes... we have to preserve what honor we have left, but it is not easy! I never wanted to hold you to that contract, but it is all I had left!"

Ranma thought as he looked at his mother. "Mom... what about the engagements?"

Nodoka closed her eyes, "Tell me about the mother of my grandchild."

Ranma nodded, and told his mother the full story. Everything that happened that night until he arrived at the Saotome home. He left out few details. Unlike the abridged version he told Ryouga, he did fill her in on the conversation and subsequent sex on the roof.

Nodoka stayed silent the entire time. Her son deserved that much, but when he finished she started to chuckle. "Ranma, I can see only one way to deal with this."

Ranma gulped. His mind was clouded with apprehension. His mother's words may very well decide his fate.

------------------------

"...and that was when I ran into Chibi-Usa," finished Hotaru. For the third time today she had repeated the story of how this all started. She hoped Usagi would have some ideas. She was out.

On Usagi's face was a gentle, friendly smile. Pulling the younger girl into a hug, she said, "Hotaru, this is a time for joy, not sadness. You're going to me a mother. Congratulations, Hotaru-chan!"

Hotaru smiled, "Thank you, Usagi. It's just going so fast. I feel like I'm being swept away!"

Usagi sighed and placed her hand on the younger Senshi's shoulder "I know. It must be very hard, especially after what Haruka said."

Hotaru nodded. Usagi was right, it was hard.

"What about the father? Do you know what he plans on doing?"

Hotaru sighed and laid back onto Usage's bed. It felt so calming, so restful after what she had been through. "I'm not sure," she replied.

Usagi nodded, "Do you trust him?"

Hotaru sighed and looked at her princess. She could tell that Usagi was hoping for the best, as she was. "I do. I think he is going to ask me to marry him."

Usagi smiled, "Is it what you want, Hotaru-chan?"

"I... think so, but I don't want him to marry me just because of responsibility." Hotaru hoped Usagi would understand. If they married, then they would have to raise a child together, they might even have more children, and she did not want to spend decades of her life with a man who resented her.

Usagi nodded, "I understand, Hotaru-chan. You don't want to be married to a man who doesn't love you."

Hotaru sighed and looked down. He had said some wonderfully nice things about her, but how could a man like him ever love a girl like her.

"Don't worry, Hotaru! Once he knows the real you, he won't be able to resist falling in love!" chirped in Chibi-Usa.

Hotaru smilled. Chibi-Usa always knew the right thing to say when she needed cheering up.

After a moment, Hotaru's frown returned. What about her family? Would they reject her once they knew the truth? "What about Haruka-papa and Michiru-mama?"

"I'll call them Hotaru. I'm going to tell them to come here so we can..." Usagi's voice took a cooler tone. "_Talk_ about this."

Hotaru nodded, "Are you going to tell them about the baby?"

Usagi nodded, "I really can't think of another way, but I won't tell them if you don't want me to."

Hotaru curled up into a ball. She had not been this afraid since the night she found out. Tears started to stream down her eyes. They would find out tonight and she could only hope that she still had an intact family in the morning. In a meek, fearful voice she said, "Tell them."

------------------------

"I hope Hotaru's okay..." grumbled Haruka. All three out the Outers were waiting for Hotaru to return home. They knew there had been some harsh words and both Michiru, and especially Haruka were looking for a chance to apologize.

"You should apologize, Haruka. You went too far," growled Michiru.

Haruka sighed and looked at her lover. "I was just worried about Hotaru, that's all. Someone had to be tough with the girl and I doubt you're willing to... but yeah, I guess I did kind of go too far."

"Really?" growled Michiru.

"Hey, I was upset! I had a right to be angry. Our little girl was sleeping around with some guy without even telling us, her family, that she had a boyfriend, and to top it all off she was doing it without protection!" replied Haruka in a fevered tone. She turned her head to Setsuna, who had her nose in a book, and asked, "What do you think?"

"I agree with Michiru," said Setsuna, as she looked up from her original copy of Machiavelli's 'The Prince'. They should really calm down. Everything was going to plan.

Michiru took this to her advantage. "That's right! I wanted to sit her down and talk about it, not scream at her until she ran off crying!"

Haruka growled, "That's total bullshit! You just short of ambushed me when I got home, waved a pair of dirty underpants in my face, then demanded I do something! Setsuna..."

"I want absolutely no part of this argument." grumbled Setsuna.

Haruka glared nastily at the outer-most Senshi, "For someone who claims to be one of Hotaru's parental figures you don't do much."

Setsuna scowled and set down her book, "Exactly... She is a big girl now. She needs her independence. I'm giving her space and a shoulder to cry on when she needs it. I do keep a look out for major personal events though. It never hurts to double check."

Michiru scowled, "The ability to see the future is no replacement for good parenting..."

"Would that be the same kind of parenting that sent her running out the door crying?"

Michiru went silent while Haruka began to really fume. Setsuna took this as an opportunity to continue reading. Moments later, the phone rang.

Setsuna looked to the side. Yet another distraction. She placed the book down. "Fine. I'll get it." Without another word said she answered the phone.

"Hello, Usagi," said Setsuna moments after she lifted the phone.

A couple of seconds later she replied, "What about Hotaru?" This immediately got the rapt attention of the others.

The conversation only took a few moments, but both Michiru and Haruka were confused when they saw Setsuna put down the phone. They had never seen her look quite so animated. Her face was twisted into a strange little smirk and her left eyebrow was twitching.

"What's up with her?" asked Haruka as Setsuna slowly walked to the kitchen. Moments later she returned clasping a large glass and bottle, which Haruka recognized as Setsuna's emergency bottle of something called 'Bacardi 151'.

"Setsuna, what's wrong with Hotaru-chan?" inquired Michiru, as Setsuna filled the glass with the outrageously potent liquid.

"Congratulations, here is to the single most idiotic action performed by a pair of 'responsible' adults in my recent memory! Cheers!" said Setsuna raised as the glass to the others, and chugged the entire content.

Haruka winced. She had once been stupid enough to try that stuff. That 'rum' had almost put her into a alcoholic coma. "What the you talking about?"

Setsuna smiled. "Haruka, you've really put you foot in your mouth this time!"

"What?"

Setsuna's smile twisted into a big insane grin. "It seems our child is with child!"

Setsuna quickly thrust the bottle out to her fellow Sailor Senshi.

"Drink?"


	6. Chapter 5: Family Problems

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights holders. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and ideas.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 5: Family Problems  
by PsyckoSama

"It's your responsibility. Decide for yourself."

Ranma blinked. Did his mother just say what he thought she did? "Mom?"

Nodoka smiled and shook her head. "Ranma, a manly man is decisive. While I appreciate you coming for my advice, that is all it should be. A real man is a leader, a decision maker. Someone like that would not ask their mother to make all the important decisions."

Ranma blinked. His mother, Nodoka "Do what I say or I'll make you commit seppuku" Saotome just told him to think for himself? "Mom, are you serious?"

Nodoka nodded. "Very serious. You are eighteen years old. You're a man, and soon you will be a father. It is time for you to start making your own decisions."

Ranma smirked. His mom must have hit her head or something. Oh well, he had no complaint.

"Well then, I guess I'll have ta marry her."

Nodoka smiled and nodded. "Yes, you will. You have made the right choice."

For some reason the emphasis Nodoka put on the last sentence sent chills of cold terror up Ranma's spine. "Err... thanks."

In seconds Nodoka's cheerful tone returned and she continued. "Now we just have to break it to your father."

Ranma chuckled; he had already dealt with that problem. "It'll have to wait, he's leaving on a training trip with Happousai tomorrow."

"Then I guess we will have to tell him before he leaves," replied Nodoka.

Ranma face twisted into a grimace, he had been hoping that he could be happily married and away from the Tendo dojo before he had to tell his Old Man. "Mom, you have got to be shitting me."

Nodoka scowled, "No, I am not. He is your father, and he should be informed of your decision."

"Mom," growled Ranma. "That dirty old Panda would stop at nothing to unite the schools, honor be damned. He would be totally against the idea, and would do everything he could to prevent it!"

Nodoka nodded. "That may be, but he is still your father."

"What about what you said? Make my own decisions? Besides, the last thing we should do is go over to the Tendos' and tell them! Nabiki would make sure this was public knowledge before the end of tomorrow!"

Nodoka smiled. "Who said anything about the Tendos? If it's true that he is going on a training trip, then he will visit tonight." Nodoka blushed, and continued. "He always visits the night before he leaves on a trip." With a girlish giggle, she said, "That's how you came about."

Ranma's faced twisted into an absolutely diseased expression. There are some things children wish there parents to leave them in the dark about. In a weary, sickened voice he replied, "Ok... I'll see you later mom."

Nodoka blinked. "Where do you think you going? You're the one who is going to tell him. Now let's go inside."

Ranma sighed and pulled out a cigarette, which was promptly smacked out of his hand. With a sigh of acceptance, he followed his mother into the house. Why couldn't anything ever be easy?

------------------------

Haruka blinked, then blinked again. "Setsuna, if that is your idea of a joke, it was not fucking funny."

"Yes, Setsuna, I almost had a heart attack," added Michiru as she attempted to catch her breath, and steady her footing. She has almost fallen over.

Setsuna shook her head. "Let me put this in another way. Hotaru has a bun in the oven. She's in a family way. She's got a watermelon on the vine. She's declaring a dividend. She's in a delicate state of health. She's ringing the stork bell! She's rehearsing her lullabies! She's up the poke, up the duff, wedged up, knocked up, clicked, clucked, pumped, on the hill, and shopping for a rattle with an egg in the nest!What I'm _trying_ to say is this: Hotaru is _**pregnant**_!"

Michiru wobbled on her feet for a moment. Her face displayed a look of absolute dread. "Setsuna, you're not kidding?"

Haruka's body stiffened, and she began twitch in much the manner Setsuna had only moments before. "This has to be a fucking joke. Right?"

"You see this face?" Setsuna asked pointing to her very stern expression. "This is my serious face. Its the face I use when I'm serious. So no, its not a 'fucking joke'!"

Setsuna sighed and allowed herself to fall back into her chair. "Usagi also told me that Hotaru is over at her place curled up in her bed, and from what she told me, it sounds like Chibi-Usa about ready to come over here and rip Haruka's head. Personally, I can't blame her."

Michiru was the first to speak. Her voice was monotonous, like all the life had been sucked out of her. She slowly sat down on one of the living room chairs. She was struggling to keep from fainting. "Oh my god. It makes sense! It makes perfect sense! The reason why she's been sick in the morning, the reason why her appetite has been picking up." Her tone changed into a wail of distress as she continued. "Oh, Hotaru-chan, why didn't you tell us?!"

Haruka twitched. Her reaction was the opposite to her lover's, full of fire and emotion. "I'll kill him. I will hunt the little bastard down to the end of the earth and rip off his balls. I will make him regret the day he ever stole our little girl's innocence! Whoever you are, prepare to die!"

Setsuna sighed and shook her head. "Do you think brutalizing the father of Hotaru's child is going to make her happy? Haruka, I think the first thing you should do is beg Hotaru's forgiveness. Then you should prostrate yourself before Chibi-Usa and hope she doesn't kill you."

Michiru looked toward Haruka, the pain on her face amplified by a bleak realization. "What you said! No wonder she ran off! If she's really going to have a baby..."

Haruka's anger faded almost instantaneously when she heard this. "Oh shit. She must hate me. I... I have to apologize to her. If I had thought things through, I would have never have said them." Haruka sat down and rubbed her head. "She'll never trust us again, will she?"

Setsuna shook her head. "Not for a while, no."

Michiru eyes narrowed, and she began to glare at Setsuna. "Did you know about this?"

"Setsuna...," growled Haruka, coming to a similar suspicion. Setsuna sighed as she shook her head. It looked like she would have to tell them the truth. "You want the complete, totally honest answer?"

"Yes!" screamed both Haruka and Michiru in one voice.

Setsuna sighed and shook her head "I had absolutely no idea."

Michiru glared at Setsuna. "Do you really expect us to believe that?"

Setsuna scoffed. "Do you think I'm omniscient? I am human just like you. Although this is strange."

"I guess you're right, but how could you miss something like this?"

"The Time Gates are fickle," she said, before she took another sip of her drink. After a moment, she grumbled, "I hope the father is not who I think it is," thinking out loud.

Haruka smiled and cracked her knuckles. The smile on her face promised pain. "Who is it?"

"Haruka! We've already done enough damage!" scolded Michiru.

Haruka laughed. "Don't worry, Michiru! I'm not going to kill him, I'm just going to convince him of the error of his ways!"

Setsuna sighed. This was turning out to be a very, very long night. "Let's just go to Usagi's and talk to Hotaru. We can worry about the rest later, but right now we have to see our daughter."

------------------------

Saotome Genma smirked as he walked toward his home. A place he had not lived in for more then ten years. He wished that his foolish child would realize the error of his ways and hurry up and marry Akane. If there was one thing he missed after ten years, it was his wife.

Damn the boy. How could that young fool trick the Master into dragging him on yet another foolish training trip? The boy just couldn't understand that everything done was for him, for the Art! The Art was life, it went beyond honor and morality. It was... well... the Art!

Why couldn't he realize that? The Tendo/Saotome union was for the good of the Art. If only Ranma could abandon his misplaced sense of honor, he would realize the truth. Moreover, the sooner he realized the truth, the sooner Genma could return home to his sexy wife.

Genma knocked on the door. He blinked when he heard what sounded like a commotion on the other side of the door. After a moment, it opened and Genma was welcomed by his wife's face.

With a big stupid grin he said, "Hello, Nodoka-chan!" He then peed in the door and stopped in surprise. He did not expect to the boy in girl form, and the boy's rival waiting for him. He had a bad feeling about this.

"Hello, husband," said Nodoka. Genma gulped, as he looked at the silk wrapped bundle she was holding. She had her katana. Every ounce of his being was fighting the urge to run. There was something very wrong here.

"Sit down, and shut up old man," said his insolent son. When he returned, he would remind the boy that he was the student. As much as he didn't want to go, he knew that he would get stronger during the coming trip. When he got back, he'd challenge the arrogant boy and make him marry Akane!

Despite this, he did as he was told. He did not like the glint in Nodoka's eyes, nor did he like the harsh glare coming from the bandanna-clad Juggernaut. It was Ranma glare though, that unsettled him the most. He had seen it only a few times and very bad things were the only result. It was the look Ranma had whenever he was about to stand in the way of his father's plans.

"I'm getting married..."

Genma smiled. Yes! The boy realized! Tendo would be thrilled, the schools would be joined!

"...but it ain't Akane."

Genma's mind froze and his eyes burst open in shock, as his gaze slowly drifted to the Hibiki boy. No, surely not!

Genma gulped and wearily pointed to Ryouga, "Please tell me it isn't to him!"

Ranma's eye started to twitch violently. "Are you out of your mind, Old Man!?"

Ryouga on the other hand stood in place with glazed over eyes and a big stupid grin. He chucked lightly as a thin trickle of blood made its way down from his nose as his face turned an interesting shade of green. "Me and... Ranma... married?"

The idea took a couple of seconds to fully process through Ryouga's mind as he considered the possibilities. His face twisted into a mask of rage, as he back slapped a cup of hot tea onto Ranma, and jumped in front of Genma, lifting him by the collar and roaring, "No, it's not us!"

"Ryouga-kun! You will not damage my house!" yelled Nodoka with a stern voice.

Ryouga nodded and dropped Genma on his ass. He wiped his nose, and sat back down next to Ranma with a grumble of, "Thats just sick!"

Ranma glanced over to Ryouga and shook his head. "Stupid panda."

Genma sighed, thank the gods. With that shock out of the way, Genma fully realized the events effect as over ten years of schemes, plans, and dreams come crashing down around him. It only took him a moment to think and clear his mind, and when he did, he was livid. "Foolish boy! You are honor-bound to marry a Tendo! The schools must be joined!"

"Husband," Nodoka interrupted, "a more pressing 'engagement' has come to life, and I am afraid that I agree with Ranma. It takes precedence over the Tendo betrothal."

Genma was pissed, how dare they! How dare they stand in the way of the Art, of his livelihood! He had raised the boy, put him through the most extreme training know to man for this! To produce an heir worthy of uniting the schools, to create a warrior capable of ending the Master's reign of terror, and to make sure he could live high on the hog off Ranma's tournament winnings and the Dojo's earnings. "What could be more important then the Art?!"

"A child," replied Nodoka, matter-of-factly.

Genma froze. "A what?"

"Ranma, explain it to your father."

Ranma sighed. "I went to a party with some friends, got drunk, and knocked a girl up. I'm going to do the honorable thing and marry her."

Genma snarled. In one lapse of discipline, the young fool had found a way to ruin everything. Akane would never take him back after something like this, Kasumi would refuse because of it, and he honestly did not want a pit viper like Nabiki as a daughter-in-law. "Is she a martial artist, son?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nope, she's not. Hell, even for a normal person she is kind of weak."

Damn. Maybe it _would_ have been better if Ranma was marrying Ryouga. At least the pig could fight! Oh well, he could always support the chef. At least she would add something to the school, even if it was from that pathetic Okonomiyaki style of hers. This weak woman Ranma had impregnated would ruin all of his work! She would not understand the art; the little slut would probably turn Ranma into a salaryman! His son, a fucking _salaryman_! The horror, the shame of it all! It made him tremble with rage and disgust!

Oh well, best to keep up appearances, hopefully he could salvage it. "I can not allow this, for the sake of the schools..."

Ranma growled. "Dad, she's gonna have my kid. I'm not gonna just sit back and let her do the work raising it!"

"That doesn't matter..."

Nodoka glared at her husband, and he heard a scraping sound as her thumb readied her katana. Just a few centimeters, only enough so he could see the glint of light reflecting off of the razor sharp steel.

"But husband, I must insist."

Genma's mind froze. If there was one think he cared about more then the Art, it was his skin. Screw the Art, he wanted to live! "Well, now that I think of it that way... It looks like our family will be having two new members, right, Nodoka-chan?"

"That's right," she replied as she reseated the blade.

Genma sighed. The boy in one fell swoop had ruined over ten years of hard work. The schools would never be united. He really should have had a Plan B. What the hell was he going to tell Tendo? He just hoped he would not lose his best friend over his son's endless stupidity. Oh well, maybe they could delay the union by a generation.

Ranma smiled. "Thanks, Mom. It looks like I'll be moving back in here."

Genma looked at the boy. A small part excused him for what he did. He knew very well what it was to be a father. Everything he ever did was done for Ranma, well, most of it, well, some of it. Maybe a bit of it.

Anyways, while he might have to live with this marriage, he did not have to make it easy on the boy. "Not so fast, Ranma..."

"What?"

Genma smirked. "I feel that it is time for you to become your own man. If you are going to raise a family you will do it on your own."

Ranma turned to Nodoka. "Mom?"

She was obviously unhappy with the decision, but shook her head. "While I do not agree with this choice, he is still head of this house hold. I am his wife and must support his decision. I'm sorry, Ranma."

Genma smiled. He knew Nodoka's reaction would something like that. When it came to family honor she was a sword swinging psycho, but other wise she was the traditional Japanese wife, quiet, supportive, and out of the way.

Ranma sighed. "Okay, I'll start looking for a place tomorrow."

"You're leaving tonight, and you will not spend the night at the Tendos'. You have dishonored their family enough," replied Genma.

"Are you kidding me, Old Man? Where the hell do you expect me to sleep?"

Genma shook his head. "Has staying at the dojo really made you that soft? Camp, boy! Now out!"

Ranma began to twitch. "Fine. Ryouga, lets go."

The snarling bandanna-clad boy nodded, and stood up.

As they began to leave, Genma smirked. He had lost the war but at least he had one victory to his name. Ryouga, who had been clearly trying to hold his building anger, snapped when he saw Genma's stupid victorious grin. With a cry of, "Outta my way, panda!" he smacked the older man with his umbrella. The blow sent Genma flying out the still-open door and through several of the neighbors' privacy walls.

Nodoka stood up to protest, but was cut off by Ryouga. "I didn't damage your house!"

Nodoka closed her mouth and sat down, a small smile on her face. "Good bye, my son. Fare well, Ryouga-kun."

"See ya, Mom."

"Bye... um... Auntie Saotome?"

Nodoka waved them off, saying, "Remember, you father just said you can't stay here. You're both welcome back any time. I love you, Ranma."

"Err.. thanks."

"I love you too, mom."

Watching the two youths leave, Genma cursed as he removed himself from the debris. That Hibiki boy really was a brute. After a moment, he smiled brightly and walked back into the house. "So, Nodoka..." he began, before being interrupted by a glass of water to the face.

"I'm not in the mood, Panda-san."

------------------------

Hotaru was afraid about so many things, and the moment she'd feared most had come to pass. What would she do? What would she say to her family? Was Haruka-papa right? Would they ever forgive her? Could she ever trust them again? Usagi had just left the room to make the call. She would know soon.

She looked to the side of Usagi's bed. Chibi-Usa was there watching her. She had never left her side. The thought that her friend would be with her no matter what lightened her heavy heart.

Hotaru closed her eyes and let he mind wander. Was Usagi right? Was this really a time for joy? Hotaru wanted to think so, but she could not shake her apprehension.

She had to admit that Haruka was right on one account. With both the social implications of having a child at her age, and the trials of motherhood, her life was going to become far more complex.

On the other hand, she could see how it was a joyous occasion. She was going to be a mama! In just over a half a year she would bring a new life into the world, a wonderful little person who was going to be her responsibility. It excited her and terrified her.

She was tired, and her day had been long and stressful. With a chance to relax, and lying in a comfortable bed, she could not help but enter sleep's comforting embrace.

------------------------

Ryouga was furious. He had not expected this kind of day. What he had hoped for was maybe a solid brawl with Saotome followed by possibly a warm home cooked meal and maybe a night in a real bed.

"This is just wonderful," grumbled Ranma.

Ryouga patted his rival on the back as they walked. "I'm sorry 'bout that, Ranma."

Ranma shook Ryouga's hand off. "Hey, keep your pity to yourself!"

Ryouga glared at Ranma. He thought that was pity. It was more than that, Ryouga was honestly sympathetic. He understood the basic position that Ranma was in through his own experiences. "I'm just trying to be nice, Saotome! I know what it's like to be without a home. I haven't been home in over a year."

Ranma sighed. "Sorry. I'm just really pissed... although that was a pretty good whack you did on my Old Man. Must have hurt like hell."

Ryouga laughed. "Ranma, as much as a cowardly, dishonorable, bastard you are, your father is a hundred times worse! I enjoyed it, especially after that crap he said!" It had taken all of his will to keep from ripping Genma's head off. Hell, Ranma's mom was weird too. The whole family was mental. Must be genetic.

Ranma glared at Ryouga. "I'm not in the mood, P-chan."

Ryouga glared back at Ranma. He was trying to be nice and Ranma insulted him. "Don't call me P-chan!"

"Don't piss me off!" replied Ranma, moving in Ryouga's path, staring him directly in the eyes.

Ryouga growled and tensed up for a fight. Oh, Ranma was begging for an ass-kicking. "Fine! So what now?!"

Ranma relaxed and stepped back. "I'm gonna go to the dojo, and get my stuff."

Ryouga shrugged, that made sense, but one question still bothered him. "Ranma, you have a place to stay?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nope, I was hoping to crash at your place."

Ryouga sighed. "Fine, but under one condition."

Ranma smiled. "Sure, what is it."

Ryouga rubbed the back of his head and blushed. "Do you remember where my house is?"

Ranma paused for a bit. "Crap, I can't remember right now! Oh well, onto 'Plan B'. Hey, could we go separate ways for a while?"

Ryouga growled; Ranma was trying to ditch him, probably to do something dishonorable. "Not a chance. Not even kami-sama himself could keep me from hounding you."

Apparently, the big man didn't appriciate Ryouga's comment, and it began to rain. Ryouga mentally screamed as he once again lost his humanity to his thrice-damned curse. He really needed to learn to curb his hubris.

Ranma sighed and put a hand on her hip. Ryouga barely fought off the nosebleed as he saw Ranma's giant, firm, luscious breasts peeking through her wet shirt. Ryouga smacked his piggy head against the pavement, causing it to spider. He really needed a cold shower, in say, liquid nitrogen.

Ranma lifted Ryouga by the scruff of his neck and looked him in the eyes. "Ryouga, I'm going to leave you and your things at the Tendos'. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Ryouga nodded. It was not as if he had much of a choice. Best to live with it, and kick the crap out of Ranma later.

------------------------

"Hotaru?" Hotaru cracked her eyes open as the gentle voice and a shake on her shoulder brought her into the waking world. Barely aware of her surroundings she turned over, facing away from the voice.

"Hotaru-chan, please wake up."

Without realizing who it was Hotaru mumbled, "Just a little longer Michiru-mama." Her eyes burst open and she flipped around. It _was_ Michiru-mama. She was struck by an emotional shock of fear and apprehension. Instinctively she jumped back away from Michiru, falling off of the other side of the bed.

For a second she felt a jolt of pain. In a flash, Michiru was next to her, helping her up. "Hotaru-chan, are you alright?" asked her mother figure.

"Ouch," groaned Hotaru as she grabbed her mama's hand, and stood up. Not knowing what to expect, she shuddered as she looked into Michiru's eyes. Her eyes are red and puffy like she had been crying, and in them Hotaru found a mirror of her own anxiety.

She sat back onto the bed, and stiffly glanced around the room. Setsuna-mama, Haruka-papa, Michiru-mama, they were all present. She looked over the other two members of her family for a moment. Haruka-papa looked very uneasy, while Setsuna-mama looked, well, sloshed.

Hotaru sighed and laid back. How would she explain this one to them?

Michiru was the first to speak. "Is it true, Hotaru-chan?"

She wondered what to say, how to put this so it would not hurt them. Why bother, it was not like Haruka cared when she said those horrible things! In a cold, forward voice she said, "Yes, I'm pregnant." Without skipping a beat, she glared into her. "Well, Haruka-_san_ does that make me a 'little slut' or a 'whore'?!"

Haruka looked down, her voice missing its usual confident, manner. "Hotaru-chan, I'm sorry. I never meant any of those things. I was angry, and would never said them if I had a clear head. I only wanted to scare you into taking precautions."

Hotaru nodded, she had thought as much but it still hurt, a lot. "Haruka, I will not have an abortion. I'm not going to kill my baby! Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Haruka nodded. "I... I understand. I just want to ask you if you have considered the consequences."

Hotaru nodded. "That's all I've been doing since I found out."

Haruka nodded, the look on her face was uneasy, almost fearful. She paused for a long moment, then said, "Hotaru, I know that what I said was unforgivable... and I know we betrayed your trust, but... can I be your papa again?"

Hotaru smiled. She had said her part and was not being rejected. They still loved her! She still had a family. Haruka was right, it would be a long time before all amends were made, but you have to start somewhere. She jumped off the bed and embraced Haruka. "Of course, Haruka-papa!"

When she was called 'Papa' Haruka was visibly relieved, as if a great weight had been taken off of her back. Once Hotaru separated, she stepped back.

"Hotaru, you should tell them how it happened," said Usagi. She had apparently been standing in the doorway the entire time.

Michiru blinked. "How did it happen?"

Hotaru sighed. "It's a long story. I went on a date, and he took me to one of 'those' college parties. He dumped me off near the punch bowl. I ended up meeting a nice boy and we talked. We also had snacks... and punch."

Haruka scowled. "That little bastard got you drunk..."

"He is not a bastard! His is very nice. We didn't know that it was spiked," she replied.

"You really believe that?"

She nodded, "I think he was more freaked out than I was."

"Hotaru-chan?" interrupted Michiru. "How does that explain... your underpants?"

Hotaru scowled at the mention of them, the little piece of evidence that started this whole argument. "I told the father today."

Haruka rolled her eyes. "Hotaru, exactly how do you go from telling to having sex?"

Hotaru blushed. "I... I couldn't remember our night together. I wanted to know what it was like to have sex."

Haruka began to open her mouth but was shushed by Michiru. Michiru smiled at Hotaru and said, "I understand, and I want you to know that we'll love you no matter what."

Hotaru smiled, "Thank you, Michiru-mama."

Haruka glanced over a Setsuna. "Hey, don't you have anything to say?"

Setsuna shrugged, and leaned back against the wall, "I don't got much ta say. I just got one question fer ya!"

Hotaru rolled her eyes, she knew Setsuna-mama didn't say cruel things like Haruka, or dig through the hamper looking for evidence like Michiru-mama, but she should have shown enough consideration to not get drunk! "What is it, Setsuna-mama?"

Setsuna leered forward, and smiled stupidly at Hotaru. "What's the name of the daddy?"

Hotaru narrowed her eyes, "Why do you want to know?" She knew damn well that once Haruka heard his name she would be out for blood, and she knew how easy he was to find.

Setsuna shrugged. "Pet theory!"

Hotaru wilted, both Michiru and Haruka were looking at her persistently. She might as well tell them. "His name is Ranma."

Setsuna laughed. "I knew it, I just knew it! You slept with a 'Butterfly'!"

Hotaru blinked. "What is a Butterfly?"

"A damned Chaos Factor!"

Haruka blinked "A Chaos Factor?"

Michiru blinked. "Butterfly... Chaos? Wait, isn't there an old saying that a butterfly flapping its wing in one part of the world can change weather patterns in another?"

Setsuna waved her hand. "Yeah, thats as good an example as any. Her boyfriend is a person who is basically chaos incarnate. No wonder I didn't see this coming! Hotaru's boyfriend is blinding the Time Gates!"

Haruka put on her 'threat to Crystal Tokyo' scowl. "How does he 'blind the Time Gates'?"

Setsuna laughed. "By being alive! Ya see, when I try to predict the future of a normal person I can skip the minor day ta day choices! You know, like what shirt they wore or what they had for lunch, but with a Butterfly every little thing they do has an reaching effect, and those effects have effects and so on. It causes a chain reaction that can screw up the odds so badly ya can't see anything!"

"Is he a threat to Crystal Tokyo?" asked Haruka.

"I don't know! You literally can't predict the events around them! They're like a natural force of change! Ya just gotta wait and see! He could be the best thing that ever happened, or he could doom us all. Who knows? Just don't try and kill him. They're harder to kill than cockroaches and the last thing we need is a butterfly actually _trying_ to muck things up!"

Hotaru sighed. Thank the gods for small miracles, they were not going to cast her away. But this had been a long night, and she could hear her bed's beckoning call.

"Everyone, can we please go home?"

------------------------

Ranma slowly crept up the wall of the Tendo Dojo. Silent and invisible he snuck into his room, stopping only to drop 'P-chan' off in the living room. His old man was right, he could not impose on the Tendos' any more. But he was pissed, how dare the old bastard do this to him? After everything he had been put through, he was just thrown out after he stopped being useful?

Oh well, retribution would come later. Right now, Ranma had to worry about where he was going to sleep. He had settled in too much. With all of his collected possessions and his college classes, camping was no longer an option. He just could not study, train, camp, and keep his possessions safe all at the same time. He needed a place to stay. While he had an idea of how to deal with it, he could not help but worry about where he was going to sleep at night if it didn't pan out.

Ranma looked around the room that had been his. There were a lot of memories here. While few of them were especially good, they were enough to make this place feel like home After a moment of reminiscing, he grabbed his pack.

He started to go through his things, beginning with clothing, schoolbooks, and mementos. He paused as he came across a simple ring box. It was the engagement ring that his farther and Soun had planned on using to trick him into formalizing his engagement to Akane.

At the thought of Akane he sighed. What was he going to do? Part of him still loved the tomboy. If somebody had asked him six months ago he never would have admitted it, but he really was set on Akane. Boy can things change in half a year.

He crammed the ring into his pocket and went back to packing. He managed to fit most of his things into the pack, but it was far too small to fit everything.

With a sigh, he let himself fall back onto his rear. What would he leave, what would he take? He made another quick scan of the room, then his lip rose into a smirk, he knew what he was going to do.

He jumped onto his feet and walked over to his father's pack, which was resting against the wall. He knew very well the Old Man would need it tomorrow, but he certainly brought this onto himself.

Ranma opened the pack and sorted through Genma's personal belongings. He figured that his father had done this to him countless times, so why couldn't he return the favor?

After about five or ten minutes, Ranma finished sorting through his father's things. While most of it had been trash, he had found some valuables, personal items, and technique scrolls worth taking.

It only took Ranma a few moments to finish packing the bags, and then he was back out the window. He just hoped this idea would not blow up in his face.

------------------------

Hotaru sighed in contentment as she fell back onto her own bed. While she had managed to slip in a half-hour nap at Usagi's, it was far from enough. Her mind and body demanded sleep.

There was a thousand things running through her head, all possibilities related to her 'condition', but she didn't care. Sleep first, think later.

She snuggled into her blanket. It was so warm, so comfortable. The heavy rain on the windowsill was monotonous, steady; it was nature's lullaby helping to soothe her to sleep. She smiled happily as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip into a deep, dreamless rest.

Rap. Rap. Rap.

Hotaru frowned, eyes still closed, and tried to cover her ears with her comforter and pillow. There, that would fix the problem. She let her mind slip back to her tummy and smiled softly. Would it be a boy, or a girl?

Rap. Rap. Rap.

Hotaru's eye opened. What _was_ that? Whatever it was, it was annoying. Where was it coming from?

Rap. Rap. Rap.

"Argh!" growled Hotaru as she jumped from her bed. What the hell was making that noise? She was tired, she was stressed out, she wanted to sleep, and that goddamn rapping sound was keeping her awake!

Hotaru gazed around the room. What ever was making that noise was close.

Rap. Rap. Rap.

Rap. Rap. Rap.

Hotaru blinked. That noise, it sounded like it was coming from the window. She walked over and threw open the blinds. She did not expect to see what was in front of her.

It was Ranma, in girl form, soaking wet and hanging upside down from the roof. She quickly opened the window and allowed him to enter.

Ranma quickly scrambled in, and closed the window behind him. Hotaru was in conflict. Part of her was ecstatic. He'd visited her! He actually had come to see her! On the other hand, she was starting to get aggravated. She wanted sleep, was grouchy as hell, and if she didn't get it she would be cross indeed.

Ranma smiled, "Thanks for letting me in, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru decided to get to the point. She wanted that sleep. "You're welcome, Ranma. Why are you here?"

Ranma smiled and rubbed the back of her head. "Hotaru, I've kinda got a problem..."

Hotaru smiled and blushed. Ranma had come to her! Out of all the people he knew he has come to her! "What do you need?"

Ranma looked down. "Hotaru I'm kinda in trouble."

Hotaru blinked. Whatever it was she would help. "What kind of trouble?"

Ranma sighed, "I told my parents about what happened, you know, between us, and my idiot old man kicked me out of the house. I really don't want to impose or nothin', but anyway, could I crash here for a while?"


	7. Chapter 6: Settling In

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights holders. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and ideas.

Awkward Consequences  
Chapter 6: Settling In  
by PsyckoSama

Hotaru blushed deeply and began daydreaming with a big joyful smile on her face. Her mind filled with happy images of her and Ranma.

Ranma blinked, and waved his hand in front of her face. "Hotaru, you okay?"

Hotaru blushed, and put her hands behind her back. "You really want to stay with me?"

Ranma nodded, and said, "Yeah, I don't got anywhere else to go."

Hotaru looked down and sighed. "Is that all? Are you just looking for a place to stay and nothing more?"

Ranma began to get nervous. In a stuttering unsure voice he said, "Not like I wouldn't like to stay here... The place is nice and I..."

He shook his head trying to clear it. He was cold, he was wet, he was female, and he had just been kicked out of the only home he could remember. It was not the best time for him. "Hotaru, I'm sorry. I think you're a really nice girl... and, well... maybe should... I mean we might as well get used to living together."

Hotaru looked up at him, slowly repeating, "we might as well get used to living together." She sat down onto her bed, her face becoming totally red. She slowly caught her breath and looked up towards him.

In a meek voice she said, "We might as well get used to living together? Ranma, are you implying what I think you are?"

Ranma in return blushed and scratched the back of his head, "Well... yeah, I'll marry ya if you want, though I really wanted to wait till I had a ring... though if you want one now I can give you the ring that my dad got for Akane..."

"Are you planning on giving me another girl's engagement ring?" Hotaru asked. If he was then that was just insulting.

"Yes, I mean, no... I mean, if you want one_now_ you can wear it until I get a you your own ring. Know what I mean?" Ranma stammered.

Hotaru sighed deeply and shook her head. He really was an idiot at times, but he was a sweet one. "I'll wait until I have my own."

Ranma nodded. "Good, cause I wanted to and maybe go out to dinner or somethin' before I give it to you. You know, make it romantic an' stuff?"

Hotaru shook her head with a smile on her face. Romantic and stuff? He was a charmer alright! She just had to giggle.

"Whats so funny?" Ranma asked.

She smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "You are."

"Oh..." Ranma paused for a moment before looking back to her. "I really want to talk to kind of you a bit before I asked for real..."

Hotaru shallowly nodded and motioned Ranma to sit next to her. Once he was seated she said, "I want to talk to you too. So, what do you want to say?"

"Hotaru, my life is pure hell. No matter what I do, bad things happen. My friends and loved ones are always in danger or getting' hurt because of me. I'd be willing to risk it with the fiancées cause they can defend themselves, but you're just a normal girl and soon we're going to be having a kid. I don't know if I'll be able to protect ya and the baby." He looked down for a moment, then continued in a weary voice, "I just want you to think hard about that before you say. I don't want ya or our baby to get hurt."

Hotaru shook her head, chuckled, then kissed him on the cheek. "Ranma, that's sweet, but I really doubt there will be any problems."

Ranma scowled lightly. "I'm being serious, Hotaru."

Hotaru smiled in response. "So am I."

"Are you absolutely sure?"

She nodded.

Ranma smiled, and said, "So, what ya wanna ask me?"

Hotaru looked Ranma in the eyes. "Why are you going to ask me to marry you? I want you to be honest with me, please. I will not hold anything you say against you."

Ranma blinked, and said, "I've gotta. I don't want to make you raise my kid on your own. It would be wrong of me to do that to you."

She looked down, pulled her knees up to her chest, and sighed sadly. There were no tears, just a profound emptiness in her heart. After a minute or two of silent thought, she said, "If thats how you feel, Ranma, then don't bother asking. I'll say no," in a very week voice.

"What? Why?"

Slowly she began to tear up as she hugged her knees. "I don't want to force you, Ranma. This is forever! I... I don't want to marry a man who will resent me, or our child, for the rest of his life."

Ranma was dumbfounded. She moved closer to her, held her for a moment, and then wiped her eyes with his shirt sleeve in a futile attempt to dry them. "Hotaru, thanks. I mean it. Thank you very much."

Narrowing her eyes, she glared at her. "Thank you?"

Ranma smiled and hugged the smaller girl tightly. "Hotaru, all my fiancées care about is themselves, they don't really care about me. They're always acting like they own me! They never ask, they just spew crap like 'Ranma take Shampoo on date!' or 'I'm your cute fiancée, right, Ran-chan' without ever asking me what _I_ want. You just did something they never did." He paused for a moment, then mumbled, "That no bodies ever done."

Hotaru blinked, and asked, "Are you serious?"

Ranma nodded and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Yeah, Hotaru, you're the first person to ever really give a damn about _my_ happiness. Thanks a lot."

Hotaru blushed brightly and looked down.

"There's another reason too. I didn't want to say this but..." he sighed then continued, "This could be my way out."

Hotaru cocked her head, and glared at him again. "Your what?"

"My out from the crap I have to live with in Nerima. I didn't want to tell you that because I didn't want you to think I was using you. I like ya, and really want to give this a shot, Hotaru."

Hotaru blinked, shook her head, and smiled brilliantly. "You really know how to put you foot in your mouth, Ranma."

Ranma scratched the back of his head and said, "Yeah, I've been told..."

Hotaru giggled, then hopped on Ranma's lap, much to his distress. Wrapping her arms around him, and in a very cute voice she said, "So, are you going to ask me?"

Ranma blushed, and squirmed out of Hotaru's embrace, much to the girl's displeasure. "I really wanted to wait till I had a ring..." Looking down at 'herself', Ranma continued, "Or at least, was in the right body."

Hotaru giggled lightly, jumped off of Ranma, and said, "It's okay, Ranma. I can wait."

Ranma smiled. "Thank you, Hotaru-chan. So..."

Hotaru chuckled. "Of course you can stay here, except for one little problem..."

Ranma sighed. "Your family?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Do they know?"

She nodded again.

"You have any ideas?"

Once again, she nodded.

With a groan of frustration, Ranma said, "Could please you stop acting cute and talk to me?"

Hotaru smiled brightly and wagged her finger at the redhead. "I have an idea, but are you willing to stay a girl for a while?"

Ranma shrugged, and said, "Sure. I'm not exactly fond of the idea, but I can manage."

Hotaru nodded. "Good! I'll tell them the truth."

Ranma gulped. The truth tended to hurt and he had a feeling it would be very painful. "You sure that's a good idea?"

Hotaru nodded. "Sure it is! I'll say you're a 'friend' who has been kicked out of her house! I'll just neglect to mention that you're actually a man, or the details of our relationship!"

"So, you want me to pretend to be one of your girlfriends or somethin'?"

"We can say you're my girlfriend, if you want," said Hotaru with a suggestive wink.

Ranma blushed. "But we're both girls!"

Hotaru shrugged. "So?"

Ranma blushed. "It ain't natural!"

Hotaru shook her head. "Both Michiru-mama and Haruka-papa are women. I don't think that's unnatural!"

Ranma blinked.

With a sigh, Hotaru said, "They're lesbians..."

Ranma blinked once again.

"They like girls."

He blinked. "You mean they're gay?"

Hotaru scowled. "Yeah do you think there is something wrong with that?"

Ranma shook his head. "Nah, not really, I guess. If you like somebody than I guess you like you like somebody... just I don't like it when guys hit on me when I'm a girl... I like girls, damn it!"

"Even when you're a girl?" Hotaru wondered.

"Yeah!"

"Then doesn't that mean when you turn into a girl you turn into a lesbian?"

"Yeah, I mean no! I mean... I'm still a guy inside, I just got... well... girly parts."

"But you're still a girl who likes other girls, right"

"I guess so..." Ranma replied meekly.

"Then you turn into a lesbian."

"If I say I'm a lesbian in girl form, does that mean I'm guys'll leave me alone?"

"Most will," Hotaru remarked.

Ranma grinned. "Okay, then I guess I'm a lesbian," he paused, "You don't mind... that I'm a lesbian and all... at least when I'm a girl... do you?"

"Ranma..." she said with a wink, "You look good in red."

"You're a lesbian too?" he pulled back slightly. "You don't expect me to stay in girl form all the time, do you?"

"No, I'm not a lesbian," Hotaru groaned, "I'm just open minded."

Ranma's eyes went wide and his face turned red. "You mean you want to do it with me _both_ ways?"

Hotaru nodded. "Yeah, it could be fun!"

Ranma blushed even brighter. Trying to change the subject he said, "Okay... so... errr... what was that idea again?"

Hotaru pointed to the window. "Knock on the front door."

Ranma nodded. "I'll be going by the name 'Ranko'. I use that name a lot when I'm in girl-form."

"Okay."

"See you in a couple, Hotaru-chan." Without another word, he was out the window.

----------------------------------

"Michiru, what do you think we should do to this kid, Ranma?" growled Haruka.

Michiru gave her lover a dirty look. "Haruka, we are going to do absolutely nothing."

Haruka scowled. "He's blinding the Time Gates, he might be a threat to Crystal Tokyo, and the rat bastard knocked up our little Hotaru-chan!"

Michiru shook her head. "She is not 'our little Hotaru-chan' anymore. She's a young woman." Michiru sighed. "I'm disappointed in myself. It took something like this to make me realize the truth."

Haruka nodded. She really didn't want to kill the little prick, but he was not going to get away with this unharmed. "You're right, but that's still is no excuse. If I see him, he will be in a world of pain."

Michiru sighed and shook her head, in a slightly annoyed voice she said, "You'd better not kill him."

Haruka waved it off. "Don't worry, I'll leave enough to drag to the alter. He's not getting out of this one that easy!"

Their conversation was interrupted by the chiming of the door bell.

Michiru looked up at the clock. "Ten-Thirty? Who would visit at this time of night?"

Haruka sighed, and with a grunt of displeasure, she stood up and walked to the door. This better be important.

When she opened the door, she was pleasantly surprised. It was a hot redhead, drenched to the bone. She mentally went over the girl's features. She was a bit on the short side, but had a wonderfully fit figure, great breasts, curves like a racetrack, and a really, really wet silk shirt. By all respects, a total fox.

She looked to the girl's side and saw two very large traveling packs by the side of the door. What the hell was going on?

Not feeling the need to be terribly pleasant, she asked, "Who are you?"

The redhead looked at Haruka with puppy-dog eyes, and said, in a sugar sweet voice, "Hi, my name is Ranko! Is Hotaru home? I really gotta talk to her."

Haruka never heard Hotaru mention any 'Ranko's. Of course she never had mentioned any 'Ranma's, and look where that got her. With a scowl she said, "Can this wait? Hotaru's sleeping."

Ranko shook her head violently. "It can't! I really, really, really have to speak to her!"

Haruka shook he head. Hotaru had a long day, and the last thing she needed was some girl waking her up. "I'm afraid it'll have to wait."

"Haruka! Don't be rude!" said Michiru from behind her. Walking past, Michiru pulled the girl inside. "I'm sorry about that, please, step out of the rain!"

Ranko nodded. "Thank you."

Hotaru walked into view from the hall. She looked like the doorbell had awakened her. One thing that Haruka could not help but note, was the presence of large wet spots on her clothing. "Ranko-chan?"

The redheaded girl sniffed and looked at Hotaru. "I've got a problem, Hotaru-chan. My father, he..."

Hotaru blinked. "He didn't!"

Michiru blinked. "Who didn't what?"

"Who is this girl, Hotaru?" asked Haruka.

Hotaru smiled. "This is my friend Ranko."

Haruka sighed. "We know that much, but what is this about."

Ranko frowned and looked down. "I had a fight with my parents and was kicked out of the house. My father and I never really got along and Hotaru said that if something like this ever happened I could stay with her..."

She had never heard anything about this. It was too dangerous. If that girl found out that they were Sailor Senshi... "I can not allow this."

Both Hotaru and Ranko blinked. There was a moment of silence then Ranma began to whimper.

Ranko gasped, then cried out in desperation, "Oh no! This was my only hope! Now all I have left is the street! I'll be a helpless beautiful young girl struck out on the streets all alone with no one to protect me! What will happen to me! There are bad men out there! I'll be forced into prostitution, get addicted to drugs, and... and..." it was then the whimpering suddenly became a full-fledged unintelligible wail.

Haruka stepped back as Hotaru rushed forward to comfort the girl. She could not look into the whimpering girl's tear-filled, liquid-blue, puppy-dog eyes without having all her will stripped away.

She shook her head, sighed, and then asked, "Isn't there anywhere else?"

The girl shook her head violently.

She looked to Michiru, who nodded. Then with a groan of resignation Haruka said, "Fine, you can stay."

Suddenly the tears were gone, and the girl was smiling brightly. With a cheerful cry of "Thanks," Ranko grabbed her bags from just outside the door, then ran back past Haruka to get inside.

Haruka blinked. Had she just been played?

Ignoring Haruka's reaction, Michiru took the girl's hand and led her to the living room. "I'm sorry to hear about your family problems, Ranko-chan. You can stay with us as long as you need to."

Hotaru smiled and grabbed Ranko by the wrist, pulling her towards the stairs. "She can sleep in my room tonight!"

"Sounds good!" said Michiru as the two girls went up the stairs.

Haruka though for a moment, she wondered how a girl that thin could carry two packs that size, and why did Hotaru's smile seem... naughty?

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Hotaru smiled as she closed the door behind her. It had worked; now Ranma could stay here with her.

"So, what now?" asked Ranma.

Hotaru smiled. "Time for you to take a bath. You'll get sick if you stay wet like that."

Ranma shrugged. "I guess so... but what if they walk in on me?"

Hotaru shrugged Ranma's paranoia off with a wave of her hand. "Don't worry!"

"That nice and all, but I don't think your 'papa' would trust me alone in the house."

Hotaru smiled at Ranma suggestively. "I'll just have to solve that problem."

Ranma blinked. "How?"

Hotaru shook her head. The boy was cute, but clueless. "I'm going to take a bath too."

Ranma jumped back. "What? Ain't that... kinda... perverted?"

Hotaru groaned and gave Ranma a look of exasperation. "We're soon to be wed, we live together, and I'm carrying your child. Could you please explain to me how it's perverse?"

Ranma blinked, and nodded. "Ah... Good point."

Hotaru smiled. She knew that he would agree! She went through her closet, grabbed two robes, then threw one to Ranma with a cry of, "Catch!"

Ranma caught the violet robe. He took a look at it then glanced around the room. "You must really like purple."

Hotaru grinned. "How'd you guess?"

Ranma smiled. "Well, your sheets are purple, your robe is purple, your night clothes are purple, even your panties are purple!"

Hotaru blushed bright red and looked down. "It's my favorite color, Ranma."

Ranma smiled. "I can see why. You have those big, pretty, purple eyes of yours."

Hotaru blushed even brighter. She could get used to this. Smiling as she stood up she grabbed Ranma's hand. "Let's take that bath, Ranma!"

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Ranma looked at Hotaru for a moment as she stripped off her clothing. She was so beautiful, and she was his. He could not help but think about how his life was changing because of her. He had finally made a choice. It felt good to be free from the weight on his soul. While he had known and accepted the fact that he would never have a chance at a normal courtship, he had lucked out. Hotaru was a really nice girl! She didn't mind his curse, she actually cared about his feelings, and she hadn't hit him yet. Not even once!

Hotaru blushed, then interrupted his train of thought. "Ranma? Aren't you going to get undressed?"

Ranma jumped in surprise, and blushed as he realized that he had been just standing there staring at her the entire time.

With a quick, "Sorry!" he began to strip down as fast as he could. Both his shirts quickly were tossed into the hamper, quickly followed by his pants. As he threw the pants into the hamper something fell out of them.

"Ranma, what's this?" asked Hotaru as she walked over next to him. He felt a pang of anxiety go up his back as Hotaru lifted the item. It was Akane's ring.

Hotaru opened the box, and then closed it. "The other girl's ring?"

He nodded.

She stared at the ring for a moment, a look of somber curiosity on her face. Slowly she removed it from the box and began to look over it.

"Ranma and Akane Forever." she muttered, looking at the inscription.

Glancing back to Ranma, she asked. "Did you buy this for her?"

"No," Ranma replied. "The Christmas before last our dads tried to force the engagement by making me give her a ring. I never did."

"But you kept it."

He nodded.

"Ranma, how do you feel about her?"

Ranma sighed. There was no reason to keep it hidden. "I loved her, once."

Hotaru nodded. "What happened?"

Ranma shrugged. "It started six months ago when we started college. We didn't have any of the same classes. It seems she just didn't trust me without her supervision and she stated acting more and more paranoid." he took a deep breath, "She basically destroyed all the progress we had made over the previous year and a half."

Hotaru nodded. "I see."

Ranma scowled. "After all I've done for her, she still couldn't trust me. Hotaru, I didn't do nothin' wrong and she still didn't trust me."

Hotaru blinked. "All you've done for her? Like what?"

Ranma sighed, "I've fought for her, rescued her from kidnappers, given up cures, hell, I've killed for her."

Hotaru gasped. "You did what?"

This would take a while. "I'll explain it to you in the bath."

Hotaru nodded. "Okay, Ranma. I can wait for a little while."

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Hotaru giggled as she saw Ranma enter the water, and transform from female to male. Just seeing how the body changed was fascinating to her.

When he was seated in the waters, Hotaru slipped into the tub. She smiled at her lover, and cuddled into him.

As Hotaru pressed her nude body into his, Ranma began to squirm. "Hotaru! What are you doing?"

With a blissful moan, she rested her head on his chest. She then smiled and looked him in the eyes. "I'm just getting comfy."

Ranma gulped, and started looking side to side, as if he was getting more and more nervous. Hotaru wondered what would make him react this way to intimate contact? "What's wrong, Ranma?" she asked.

He smiled stupidly and looked down at the purple-eyed girl. "I'm just not good with this kinda stuff. It's always been nothing but trouble for me."

Hotaru snuggled in a bit then caressed his face. He seemed to be relaxing a little. "How so?"

Ranma looked down for a moment, and then very hesitantly placed his arm around Hotaru. "Like I told ya before, I'm just used to unwanted attention. All my fiancées, Shampoo especially, try and smother me in intimate contact. A couple of times Shampoo even snuck in on me during a bath! It would always end with Akane hitting me even if it wasn't my fault."

Hotaru scowled. Those girls sounded like real pieces of work. No wonder he had intimacy problems. Oh well, she could fix that. "Don't worry, Ranma, I'll never do anything like that."

Ranma smiled. "Thanks, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru giggled and kissed him on the cheek. After a moment, she sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Ranma, tell me, who and why did you kill?"

Ranma sighed. "It's a long story. I killed the a Phoenix-God named Saffron."

Hotaru gasped. Ranma killed a god?! She could not believe that, or could she? He looked like he was being serious... how could a normal human being kill a god? She gulped and continued, "Go on, Ranma."

Ranma nodded. "It all goes back to Jusenkyo..."

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"... and that's what happened," finished Ranma. He really did not like talking about Saffron, but she had asked and he saw no good reason to refuse.

He looked down at Hotaru's small form and smiled. Boy was she cute. He slowly placed his arms around her. For some reason he felt at ease. He sat in place, holding her for a few moments. He was surprised that she had not said anything about the story. It was pretty incredible, and sometimes he even had trouble believing it. "Hotaru-chan, what do ya think?"

Nothing.

He blinked. "Hotaru-chan?"

Still nothing.

He nudged her gently, and she shifted slightly. It was then that he realized that she had fallen asleep. He sighed, the started to shake her. "Hotaru-chan, wake up."

The girl turned and yawned. After a moment, she blinked and looked him in the eye. "Ranma?"

He smiled. "You fell asleep."

She moved away from him and stretched. Ranma could not help but note the way the movement of her lithe body helped accent her pert breasts. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I wanted to hear the story, but I was so tired and you're so comfortable."

Ranma smiled the shook his head. "It's okay." He looked side-to-side for a moment, and continued. "Come on, let's get to bed before someone walks in on us."

Hotaru nodded and they both stood up. Ranma went over to the faucet and placed his hand under some cold water to trigger his curse.

As Hotaru slipped on her robe, she said, "Ranma, can you tell me about Jusendo again tomorrow?"

Ranma nodded as he covered himself. "Alright, just don't fall asleep this time."

Hotaru giggled. "Don't worry!"

Ranma smiled and left the bathroom, pocketing Akane's ring box.

It was only a moment until they were back in Hotaru's room. Both of them quickly finished drying off. Hotaru slipped back into her nightclothes, while Ranma dug around in one of his backpacks until he found a dry pair of boxers and a tank top. Ranma also took this as a chance to put the ring back into his pack. He then pulled out his bedroll and prepared for bed.

"Ranma, what are you doing?" asked Hotaru, and she sat down onto her bed.

"I'm getting ready to go to sleep."

Hotaru sighed in exasperation. "Not on that you aren't!"

Ranma blinked. "Then where do you expect me..." he paused after a moment of realization, then continued, "You want me to sleep in your bed don't you."

Hotaru nodded. "It has to be more comfortable than that thing, and we might as well get used to it!"

Ranma blushed, then looked at Hotaru. She was right. He was going to marry this girl. He had all but asked, and she had all but said yes. In not much more than half a year, they were going to be parents. There really was no reason to resist.

"Ok, Hotaru-chan," said Ranma, as he sat on the bed next to her. He looked at her, then the mattress for a moment and said, "I don't think there is room for both of us."

Hotaru smiled coyly. "Then I guess we'll have to snuggle."

Ranma gulped, but said nothing. While he though that she was a little over-anxious he could understand why. She was a lonely person, and was hungry for the affection and kindness of another. He could sympathize.

As the two laid down on the bed, Hotaru snuggled into Ranma and turned off the lamp.

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Ranma held Hotaru's sleeping figure tightly. He glanced at the alarm clock on her nightstand. 1:30. He had been laying here for two hours. He could not rest. His mind was too busy, and sleeping next to a girl felt strange. The crazed events of the day running through his head.

He gazed at the shadowed walls of Hotaru's room. What would the future hold for him now? He had made a choice. The damnable choice that had been hanging over his head for two years was finally dealt with. There was no turning back, and no regrets.

His fiancées would be outraged. He had just put himself and Hotaru in danger. They would not react well, and if the failed wedding were any sign, they would be violent.

He looked down at Hotaru, the sweet, innocent girl who would soon be mother of his child. He silently swore to himself that no harm would ever come to her or their baby. Not Akane, not Shampoo, not Ukyou, and not any gods or demons would ever harm his family. They would have to kill him first, and Saotome Ranma never loses.

He smiled down at her. "Good night, Hotaru-chan."

Hotaru lightly shifted in Ranma's arms, resting her head between his chin and breasts. In a light, unconscious whisper she replied, "Good night... Anata."


	8. Chapter 7: Roasting on an Open Fire

The characters in this story belong to their respective creators and rights holders. Ranma 1/2 is the creation of Rumiko Takahashi. Sailor Moon is the creation of Naoko Takeuchi. All original content is the creation of Samuel Phoenix. Recognition is given to John Sanchez for a small kick of inspiration that helped produce this story, and to Harold Ancell who has been a near constant source of input, information, and ideas.

Awkward Consequences

Chapter 7: Roasting on an Open Fire

by PsyckoSama

Ranma groaned as he awoke. He hated getting up in the morning. Through a clouded mind he looked down at Hotaru, and his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. Oh shit! He was in bed with a girl! Akane was going to murder him!

More by instinct than anything, he recoiled, falling out of the bed with a loud thud. Undisturbed by Ranma's momentary panic attack, Hotaru took the opportunity to roll over and steal some more of the blanket.

Ranma sighed and sat up. Damn, he almost had a heart attack there. He was just glad he didn't wake her up. If she was annoyed by him being nervous with hugs, how much would it piss her off if he jumped screaming from their bed?

Slowly, he stood up and glanced at the time.

"Damn," he muttered to himself. It was early.

Usually he'd wake up early to do some sparing and training, but he didn't want to disturb his hosts by starting off this early. He already was staying here on flimsy enough a premise. He didn't want to piss anyone off.

Oh well. With a shrug he crawled back into bed. He just hoped her didn't wake her up.

As he laid back down, Hotaru grumbled a bit in her sleep, readjusting to his presence. With a yawn, she rolled over and mumbled something in her sleep.

"I am become death... destroyer of worlds... oh... look... delicious pie..."

Ranma blinked, and then, he blinked again. She's dreaming about pie and the apocalypse. Right, okay then... moving on...

Ranma tugged at the blanket a bit, freeing up enough to cover himself. Hotaru didn't seem to appreciate this, and she grumbled a bit in her sleep before snuggling into the closest source of warmth, which in this case, was Ranma.

For a moment, he tensed up before forcing himself to relax. He really needed to learn how to cuddle with a girl without clamming up. Girls liked to cuddle, and Hotaru was going to be his wife, so he better her used to cuddling her. Girls like that kind of mushy stuff. With that in mind, he simply shrugged and cuddled into her as well.

After a few minutes, he began to smile. It was nice, actually, the whole cuddling with a girl and not getting beaten to a pulp thing. Her head was buried into his chest, and her body was pressed against his, while his arms were around her and his leg was thrown over her hips. It was kind a bit weird, though.

Before yesterday, he would have considered this kinda weird, girls cuddling with girls, but it was like Hotaru said. If he liked girls then when he turned into a girl, that meant he turned a lesbian, and its okay lesbians for lesbians to cuddle other girls because thats kinda what they do.

True, he'd rather be a straight guy than a gay girl as it was his natural form. Though all things considered, he actually felt very comfortable with the idea that his alternate form lived an alternate lifestyle. Maybe he could keep guys from pinching his butt... though if he was a lesbian did that mean girls would start pinching his butt? He really had to check with Hotaru.

He smiled thinly as the aforementioned female snuggled into him just a little bit more.

Hopefully, they could deal with everything quickly, and get married before she started two show. She was already going to have to face deal with the social problems of being a teen mother, but he hoped that they could prevent the problems that would come with her being an _unwed_ teen mother. It was his kid too, and wouldn't let her face the music alone.

Unconsciously, he tightened his grip around her and laid his face on her head. Her silky soft jet-black hair glistened in the sunlight, and he could smell the sweet floral scent of her shampoo. It was nice. Really nice. He was starting to see why girls liked it. Sure, his Old Man said that only queers like to cuddle, but if he turned into a gay girl, then he guessed that made him _kinda _queer, so he could probably get away with it. Well, that or the Old Man was a moron. Either answer was good enough for him.

He closed his eyes and relaxed, letting his mind enter a restful meditative state. It wasn't quite sleep, but it was the next best thing. He had to admit thought, Hotaru was a special girl. None of the other girl's he'd been stuck with had been anything like her. She was just so kind, caring, gentle, and oh so very... _non-violent_. She was special, and he really could see himself being happy with her.

After a time, he slowly squirmed off of the bed, doing his best not to awaken her. Laying like that with her was nice, but he had things he needed to get done. Besides, his muscles were starting to get very stiff.

As he stood up, Hotaru rolled over to the center of the bed and stretched out until she was taking up the entire mattress. She really was a greedy sleeper, wasn't she? First the blanket, now the whole bed. He couldn't help but chuckle. After watching her snooze through his panic attack, he'd bet that she could sleep through the end of the world. So they had something in common after all!

With a mirthful smile on his face, he began his morning stretches to banish the inflexibility from his muscles. Snuggling was nice, but her bed was too small for two people. When they got married, he had to make sure a bigger bed was part of the package.

He quietly dressed, putting on a simple pair of slacks and a red Chinese shirt, the Saotome Ranma classic.

Once he finished, he opened Hotaru's bedroom door, and began to slip out into the hall. He glanced around for a moment. The night before, he hadn't had much of a chance to poke around, but now, he could take the time to get the lay of the land. He had to admit though, Hotaru sure had a big house. It was really nice too. Nicer than the Tendo's even. He hoped that he could stay here for a while, he didn't want to be out on the street again. After having a place to call home for two years, he'd prefer to homeless.

He gazed back into Hotaru's room, at his latest fiancée. He hoped she didn't resent him. He'd really stuck her in a major jam, and because of it they were being railroaded towards marriage. He really was sorry that he was putting her through all this, but hey, sometimes all you can do is roll with the punches and get back on your feet.

He frowned slightly and looked at Hotaru. She was laying spread out, with a cute little smile on her face, happily dominating the entire bed. He didn't mind that, but all the blankets were bunched up around her. It was a chilly morning, and he didn't want her to catch cold.

As he approched, he couldn't help but see how peaceful she looked when she slept. Yeah, she really was a beautiful girl. It made him feel like a real sleaze for getting her into this whole mess.

"I'm sorry, Hotaru-chan." he muttered as he pulled the blanket over her. "I'll do everything I can to make it up to you."

He silently left room and started down the stairs.

"Good Morning, Ranko-chan," Haruka chirped as she stepped into view.

The cursed martial artist scowled slightly as the masculine lesbian slowly scanned over Ranma's figure, taking time to appreciate every curve. He had to admit, it wasn't as bad as when Hiroshi and Daisuke ogled him, though if she pinched his butt, heads would roll.

"Ahem," he coughed.

Haruka's eyes jetted directly level to Ranma. She looked like she had been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. She laughed lightly and rubbed the back of her head. "Sorry about how I acted last night Ranko-chan, I just had things on my mind."

Ranma nodded. "She told you yesterday, right?"

Haruka blinked, then looked at Ranma funny. "You know?"

"Yeah, she told me yesterday too," answered the boy turned girl.

Haruka scowled, and nodded. "So, what are you doing up? It's still pretty early."

Ranma smiled widely at Haruka, "I was going to go outside and do my morning kata."

At the mention of martial arts Haruka's eyes lit up. "So, you're a martial artist?"

Ranma smirked arrogantly, and said in a very sure voice, "I'm the best."

Haruka grinned at Ranma. Ranma recognized the look in her eyes. It was a challenge.

"Prove it."

Ranma chucked to himself. While he seriously doubted Haruka would be a challenge, he always appreciated a chance to spar with a new person . Learning from your opponents and adaptation were the hallmark of the Anything Goes School. "See ya outside."

The two women quickly slipped into the back yard. Haruka smiled as she took up a combat stance. Ranko was just standing there. She was watching her, observing her every movement.

The blond Senshi smiled, if the younger girl wanted to test her, then she would show Ranko why she was considered the most skilled fighter amongst the Sailor Senshi.

The two bowed respectfully, and with a resounding cry, Haruka charged forward and struck at Ranma with a skillful and lightning fast combination of blows, or at least that is what it would be in the minds of most people. To a world-class martial artist like Ranma, they were merely adequate.

Seeing no reason to take the fight too seriously, Ranma dodged and wove around Haruka's fury of blows and instead took the opportunity to analyze his opponent's fighting style.

She was fast but not terribly skilled, at least by his standards. He personally placed her right below Akane's skill level when he'd arrived in Nerima two years prior.

Her style was a creative and personal style, mixing Kempo, Shotokan, some elements Tai Kuan Do in the kicks, and some stylistic fragments of Wu Shu, probably picked up from watching one too many Kung Fu Action movies.

Once he had a grasp of Haruka on the offensive, he decided to put the girl on the ropes. In less than a second Ranma, was striking back at Haruka using speed the woman could hardly believe and barely react to. While Ranma was holding back on his offensive, he was still heartily pounding on the Outer. He found this disappointing.

The girl's defense was weak, sloppy even. She depended far too much on striking fast and soaking up blows. That in itself was curious because her endurance was really nothing special. He was also noticing one other massive, and truly critical flaw in her style. She wasn't using ki.

Among martial artists, there was often an invisible line that divided the armatures from the greats, and that was the ability to focus their ki. It made you faster, stronger, tougher, and opened the door to special techniques that were simply superhuman. It could take some people took their entire lives to learn to touch their ki, while others took to it with ease. It was truly what made true martial artists something more than highly skilled brawlers.

In this respect, Akane was lucky. He doubted that she would have been able to cross that line without her father's teachings. Before he'd arrived, she seemed to see the Martial Arts as a way to stay in shape and a tool to pound on perverts. She'd simply lacked the commitment needed to truly become one of the greats.

Ranma's eyes narrowed in aggravation as Haruka dropped her defensive and struck out with a powerful but easily read attack in a desperate attempt to get off the ropes. Such moves were never a good idea. While he was personally was fond of powerful but difficult finishing techniques, striking out like a caged animal was always a bad idea.

It was time to end this.

With almost comical ease, Ranma dodged under the mighty but overextended punch redirected the force, and flipping her head over heels. It was a simple technique, really, one that every Aikido student was taught in the first few lessons.

Moments after Haruka had hit the dirt Ranma turned around and walked to the older girl. With a smile on his face, he reached out his hand, and said, "Match?"

Haruka groaned as she picked herself off the ground. Absently touched a split lip, she shot Ranma a nasty look, obviously annoyed at being so handily defeated. But upon seeing Ranma's friendly smile and offered hand, her anger diminished. "Match," she said, as she took the redhead's hand.

Ranma smiled, and pulled her to her feet. After a short pause, she began to criticize Haruka's abilities. Her tone was serious, and utterly without arrogance or condensation. It was the commanding tone of a master of their art giving critical advice to a learner. "Your not bad. You have potential, but there are some fundamental flaws in your style and ability that must be addressed."

Haruka scowled slightly, but she took the criticism in the spirit it was given. "Like what?" she asked, with no disrespect but a high level of frankness.

"First, you're defense is simply terrible. You commit too much to the attack and simple do not have the endurance needed to soak blows like that. You're going to have to learn to balance your offense and defense otherwise you'll get creamed."

Haruka nodded. The girl was right. She had become too dependent on her Senshi form's super-human durability by ignoring her defense and committing totally to the attack. It was something she could live with in her transformed state, but as normal old Haruka, she'd get pounded.

"Anything else?"

Ranma nodded. "You're not using your ki."

Haruka blinked. "What?"

"When you fight," Ranma explained, "You do not tap into your ki reserves to boost your physical abilities. Now either you were holding back completely in this fight, which I doubt, or you don't know how to do it. Either way, its a problem we have to correct if you're ever going to be a serious martial artist."

Haruka scowled. "What do you mean by that? Are you saying I'm not taking it seriously?"

"No," Ranma replied, "What I'm saying is that if you ever tried to fight a really skilled martial artist like me in a real fight, they'd punch your damn head off. Literally."

Haruka snorted. "Now I know you're bullshitting me. It has some be come form of magic."

Ranma sighed. "Listen, you want me to prove it?"

Haruka snorted. "Yeah, sure, why not?"

Ranma nodded. "Alright then. Anything you need demolished?"

"Yeah," Haruka replied, "That pillar over there." She said, pointing to a brick pillar that was being used as lamp post. "It used to be part of a wall. Michiru wants to put in a garden but its in the way."

Ranma nodded and walked over to it. It was simple brick construction with a decorative electric lamp on the top. After focusing on the object for a moment, he looked back over and asked "This thing isn't wired in, is it?"

"Its disconnected. I was planning on sledge hammering it next week, if if Little Miss Mighty Martial Artist wants to make a display, then go right ahead."

"Fine!" Ranma said with much cheer. For a moment

Puling back her arm, he let loose with a mighty punch, which he then stopped mere centimeters from the pillar. Grinning wickedly, she glanced back to Haruka, and then poked the pillar.

_"Bakusai Tenketsu."_

As the pillar exploded of a small bomb, Haruka jumped backwards, covering her face, and fell on her rear.

"What the hell was that!?" she exclaimed as she looked at the totally unscathed girl standing next to the pile of debris that had once been a rather sturdy piece of masonry.

"That was the breaking point technique. It's a ki technique that targets the 'breaking point' present in all solid, inanimate objects and causes them to shatter." he grinned. "I could have just pounded it into gravel, but this way was much more fun."

"So you were just messing with me?" Haruka growled.

"Yep!"

Haruka snarled, then her eyes went wide. "Wait... you can't do that to people, can you?"

"You mean the Five-Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique?" Ranma asked with a bright smile.

Haruka gasped with horror.

"No, I don't know that one."

Haruka paused for a minute and then glared at Ranma. "I hate you."

Ranma could only laugh. "Come on, I'm just playing with you!"

Haruka slowly climbed to her feet and crossed her arms. "So you'll really teach me how to do that?"

"The Bakusai Tenketsu? No. The training is far too sadistic. I was barely willing to put _myself_ through it as much do it to anyone else."

"What? You don't think I can take it?" Haruka growled.

"To learn the Bakusai Tenketsu, you suspend the student from a tree leaving only one arm and one finger free, and then you hit them with large bolders until they figure it out for themselves. Still interested?"

"Ick," Haruka gagged, "Never mind then."

Ranma smiled. "I knew you'd feel that way."

"So..." Haruka said slowly, "After I learn how to use my ki, are there any techniques you _will_ show me?"

"That depends." Ranma remarked. "You willing to become my student?"

"If it means learning to do stuff like that, then sure."

Ranma looked at Haruka, deep in thought. She might not be skilled enough to handle it, but she was fast and once she learned how to use ki, she'd probably take to the training well enough. Of course the question was should he. She probably would use these skills against him. While she would be no real threat, she could become yet another pain in the ass. No, that was not even a question. He was going to be a father, time to start acting like one. Put the child first.

"Alright. Welcome to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts." 'Ranko' said seriously, "This ain't gonna to be easy, and by this time next week you're gonna hate me with every fiber of you're being, but I'm gonna turn you into the best martial artist you can be, even if it kills you." she paused. "Now get me a few bags of chestnuts."

Haruka blinked at the unusual request. "What the hell do you need chestnuts for?"

'Ranko' smiled, and said, "The first step is going to be learning to use your ki. It might wake a while for you to gt it, but after that, it'll be as easy as breathing and you'll wonder why so few people can actually do it."

"And this involves chestnuts why?"

"I might as well show you the training method for the first special technique I'm going to learn. The training method is easy, but you _will not_ begin the training until _I_ say you're ready? Do you understand?"

Haruka nodded. "I understand.," She would get the damn chestnuts, but first she had to know something. "How did you get so damn good?"

The redhead smiled wearily. "I spent ten years on the road training. When most girls were playing with dolls, I was learning how to fight. The Art was my childhood, it was my mother, it is my life."

Haruka reeled in surprise. "You're kidding me." said the blond Senshi.

"I wish, as a kid I had no friends, no house, no school... none of that stuff most kids for for granted. The Art really is pretty much all that I know."

"What kind of bastard would do that to a child?" asked Haruka.

Ranma scowled at the thought of his disgrace of a father. "My Old Man. I'm never going to pull any of the crap he pulled with my kid!"

Haruka blinked then looked at Ranma inquisitively. "You're a mother?" She gave Ranma's body a once over then continued, "You don't look like it."

Ranma backed up. Oh, he was not a mother, but he was soon to be a father. He had backed himself into a hole here. "Err... I mean when I have a kid!"

Haruka paused for a moment, then shrugged. "Okay."

"About the technique," interrupted Ranma, cutting Haruka off, "You get the chestnuts, and I'll get the rest ready."

Haruka blinked, then shrugged. "Okay, so how many do you need?"

Ranma smiled evilly. "Get a lot of 'em. When you master your ki and start the training, you'll need 'em."

----------------------------------

Haruka walked back towards the yard holding a shopping bag. They didn't have the nuts in the house so she had to go shopping. Ranko had really impressed her, so she might as well give her a chance. She wondered what kind of technique Ranko was going to show her. That breaking point technique What kind of strange technique requires chestnuts to learn it?

She blinked as she entered the back yard. Ranko was kneeling in the yard tending to a fire.

"Ranko-chan? What the hell? Was this just an excuse for you to roast chestnuts? If so, you owe me 5,000 yen."

Ranko glared at her. "You ain't earned the right to talk back to your Master yet."

Haruka blushed. "Sorry, Ranko-sensei."

"Better, now sit down next to the fire."

Without complaint, Haruka did as she was told and knelt down next to Ranko. "What are we doing here?" She asked.

Ranko chuckled to herself, then took the bag from Haruka and threw a couple of handfuls of nuts into the fire. She then looked over, and into the blonde's eyes, saying, "_We_ ain't doin' nothing. _I'm_ showing you a technique. It's called the 'Kashuu Tenshin Amaguriken'. It's an ancient Chinese Amazon technique that had the Emperors of China shaken' in their boots for 3,000 years, or at least that's what they told me."

Haruka blanched at the name. "Imperial Sweet Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire Technique"? What kind of stupid name was that? "What kind of technique?" She asked.

Ranko smiled. "Speed."

Haruka nodded. There was just one thing that she didn't understand. Most martial artists were very secretive with their techniques. "Why are you showing me this now, even though you know I'm not ready for it"

Ranko sighed and looked down, in complete honesty she said, "To help protect Hotaru and her baby. I'm putting you on the accelerated schedule here. The moment you figure out how to control your ki, I want you to jump right into this."

Haruka blinked. It was not like she couldn't already do a good enough job as is, but what could make Ranko so uneasy? Was there some new danger that only Ranko knew about? She needed answers! "What's threatening Hotaru-chan?"

Ranko sighed, and her shoulders slumped. "Ranma. He's got a situation goin' that's gonna blow up in everybody's face, and it's gonna go soon."

Haruka eyes narrowed for a moment. This was about _him_. "Explain."

"Ranma's engaged to multiple girls, and all of 'em are violent and crazy. When they find out about Hotaru there is going to be hell ta pay."

Haruka's eyes narrowed and her lip rose into a snarl with barely contained anger. "That little fucking bastard... first he strings along these girls then he knocks up my little Hotaru-chan?! I'll fucking kill him!"

"No, no, no!" exclaimed Ranko. "It ain't like that, it's my pop's fault!"

Haruka blinked, "Your pop?" Her eyes narrowed. "What's your relationship to him, are you his sister or something?"

Ranko smiled stupidly then choked out, "Well, you could say that..."

"Great, now I have the sister of the guy who got my little girl pregnant living with me!" growled Haruka. She then looked at Ranko funny and asked, "Why were you kicked out of your house anyways?"

"Ranma said that he was going to ignore the engagements, including the one engagement that our old man actually cared about, and marry Hotaru. I agreed with him and Pops kicked us out of the house over it." he paused for a moment, then added, "Well, that and he hates gays."

Haruka blinked. "You're a lesbian?"

"Yep. I don't like guys like that. Hotaru actually helped me come to terms with it."

Haruka features softened as some of her anger drained and she smiled knowingly. He was willing to do what needed to be done, even if it cost him. She could respect that quality. She also was deeply offended by the idea that their father used it as an excuse to kick his daughter out of the house simply because she was gay. "So exactly how are your brother's girl problems your father's fault?"

Ranko scowled bitterly. "He engaged him to all these girls so he could run off with the dowry! It ain't Ranma's choice!" as almost an after though she added, "Kami-sama only knows how many boys he's probably engaged me to!"

Haruka winced in sympathy, finding the very idea of being forced into a relationship with some strange man absolutely abhorrent. "So where is your idiot brother?"

Ranko shrugged, "He's got important things he's gotta to take care of in Nerima. It's a real mess."

Haruka looked down at the fire, and paused. "Wait a second, Anything Goes? Your family name Saotome, is it?"

"Yeah..."

Haruka smiled, and turned her head to the slightly shorter redhead. She had heard of a "Saotome Ranma" and a "Saotome Ranko" from Nerima. They were rumored to be among the best in Japan. For a martial artist of that caliber to consider you good enough to teach was both a privilege and an honor. "Thank you for being honest with me."

Ranko slightly winced and looked down. "Well, the chestnuts are done," she remarked as she popped one into her mouth. She then handed a fresh nut to Haruka. "Want one?"

"Thanks," Haruka said as she ate it. It was warm and sweet. Then her train of thought halted. The fire was still going, she had just eaten a chestnut from it, and she hadn't seen Ranko use anything to dig one out. How did she. Her eyes went wide. Speed technique...

"Ranko, did you just do what I think you did?"

Ranko smiled, and said, "You catch on quick. Here, let me show you."

Ranko turned to the fire and cried out, "Kashuu Tenshin Amaguriken!" Her arms vanished in a momentary blur. When they jumped back into clear view she had two handfuls of freshly roasted chestnuts.

Haruka looked at her hand and gasped. "Amazing!" If she could have even a fraction of that speed in her normal form, then her speed as a Senshi would be absolutely blinding.

Ranko smiled and popped one of the nuts into her mouth. "When you can pull the nuts from the fire without getting burned, you will have mastered the technique." Ranko's eyes then narrowed, "I'm warning you now. Your hands _will_ get burned, and it _will_ hurt. One of the few truthful things my father has ever said was this: The path of a true martial artist is fraught with peril."

"Okay, Ranko-sensei," Haruka replied with a nod.

"Also, when you train, I recommend you take your shirt off so it does not catch fire," cut in Ranko.

"Only if you do it first," she replied.

Ranko blushed, and said, "Hey, I don't think so! Don't you already have a girlfriend?"

Haruka snickered. "I don't think Michiru would mind, as long as she got to watch."

Ranma glared at her. "Pervert."

"Okay, okay," Haruka laughed. "What now?"

"Now, we eat roasted chestnuts," Ranma replied. "Then, I teach you to meditate."

---------------------------------- 

Hotaru smiled as she opened her eyes to the morning light. She felt much better after a nights rest. It was as if all the stress of the past day was washed away. Now here she was, in bed, with her Ranma, her lover, father of her child, and her soon to be husband.

She sighed as she thought of him. He was so hansom and protective, and while he was a bit of a blockhead, he was still a very sweet and kind in his own, painfully awkward way. The concern he had for her was sweet, but misplaced. While Ranma could do some amazing things, she highly doubted he or anyone he knew could threaten a Senshi. It was all going so fast, but if she was stuck in this kind of situation, than at least she was stuck in it with someone like him.

Hotaru turned over to embrace him. He wasn't there. "Ranma?"

Her eyes quickly darted around the room. He wasn't even in the room. His packs were still present, that was good, as it put to rest any nagging fears that he may have changed his mind and crept out in the night.

She was slightly annoyed, though. Why couldn't he have waited for her to wake up? Oh well. There must have been _something_ he needed to do. With a yawn Hotaru stood up and stretched.

Rubbing her back for a moment getting the kinks out of her back, she wandered out of room. She would get dressed for the day later, she was hungry right now. As she opened the door, her nose was greeted by the sweet smells of breakfast, wafting up the stairs. It made her stomach rumble in anticipation.

Hotaru smiled in amusement and patted her belly. "Quiet you." With a skip to her step, she walked down the steps to have her morning meal.

When she entered the dining room, she was more than a little surprised by what she saw. Haruka-papa was sitting at the table almost topless while Michiru-mama applied antiseptic cream to the many small scraps and cuts that covered her body

In a flash, Hotaru was next to her, healing her wounds. "What happened, to Haruka-papa?" she inquired.

Michiru sighed and turned her view from Haruka's wounds to her daughter. In a slightly irritable voice, she said, "Genius here decided to spar with Ranko."

"She did what?" Hotaru exclaimed, while deciding that she'd have to talk to Ranma about not using her parental figures as punching bags.

Michiru snorted. "Next time, tell her to go easy on you."

Haruka smiled, there was a edge of borderline insanity to it that made Hotaru uncomfortable. "Ranko-sensei _was_ going easy on me! You know that pillar in the backyard? She make it explode by touching it!"

"Ranko-sensei?" repeated Hotaru.

Ignoring Hotaru, Haruka continued on her rant. "You should have seen her! She was just a blur! She was so fast that she could pull chestnuts out of a camp fire without burning her hands. She says she's going to teach it to me as soon as I learn to use my ki! Just imagine how fast I would be if I'd be transformed if could pull off this technique while I'm normal!"

"Haruka!" cried Michiru, obviously worried about Haruka referring to her Senshi form with visitors in the house.

Haruka shrugged to her lover. She had said nothing that would give them away. Hotaru agreed that there was no need to worry. At least not yet...

"Where is Ranko?" wondered Hotaru as the last of Haruka's bruises faded away.

Michiru backed off and took her seat. "Your friend's in the kitchen. I had to tend to Haruka's wounds, so Ranko-san volunteered to cook breakfast." She then gave Haruka a dirty look and said, "I just hope this does not become an every day occurrence."

"She's my Master now," Haruka stated. "I'm not stopping until I learn how to do those techniques!" She turned to the kitchen door and yelled, "You hear me, Red? I'm not giving up, no matter what you put me through!"

Seconds later, Ranma, clad in one of Michiru's frilly aprons leaned out of the kitchen door. "I'll hold you to that, slow poke!" He turned back into the kitchen, but seconds later suck his head out again, "And one more thing, don't call me Red!"

"Sure thing, Babe!" Replied Haruka with her lips in a smirk.

All three girls started giggling when they heard the cry of exasperation that Ranma gave in return.

This entire exchange confused Hotaru. It was like Haruka-papa both respected and disliked Ranma. She referred to him respectfully as "Sensei and Master" while at the same time they taunted each other constantly.

She was surprised how seriously Haruka was taking all this, but she could understand way. If she could become anywhere near as powerful as Ranma in her natural form, her power as a Senshi would be downright frightening. It made her wonder if they could get 'Ranko', into a fuku. If they could pull that off, than they might as well retire from the Magical Girl business, or at least take a vacation.

Besides the amusing image of Sailor Ranma, Hotaru pleasantly surprised to discover that Ranma could cook. She couldn't wait to see how good it was.

Moments later 'Ranko' came out of the kitchen, still dressed in Michiru's apron holding an over-sized tray of food. Laying it on the table, he looked at the others and said, "Dig in!"

Hotaru smiled and looked at the meal. While taste was always most important, it looked and smelled really good.

She slowly took a prepared a plate for herself before sampling the cuisine. It was as good as it looked. "Ran... Ranko-chan this is really tasty!"

The boy in girl form blushed slightly. "Thanks Hotaru-chan," he said before grabbing a triple sized serving for himself and sitting next to Hotaru.

Hotaru blushed slightly and looked at everyone. They were all eating together happily. It was actually kind of nice. It was almost like they were a family.

"So, how did you two meet?" asked Michiru.

"I'm Ranma's twin sister..." rambled Ranma, hoping to convince the woman.

"Yeah, that's right," muttered Hotaru.

Michiru glanced at Haruka, then looked at them and said, "Are you serious?"

Haruka, smiled at her lover. "That's right. She's Saotome Ranko, one of the best martial artists her age in Japan!"

Michiru glanced at her lover. "I'm surprised you're not angry about the guilt trip she put you on last night."

Haruka shrugged. "I don't mind. This morning she told me the real reason she got kicked out of her place."

"Oh?" asked Michiru while Hotaru glanced at Ranma, wondering what he'd said.

"Seems Red here's batting for our team," she remarked. "Her father just used the excuse to kick her out."

Michiru's eyes went wide. "You're a lesbian too?"

Ranma shrugged between mouthfuls. "I like girls and I don't like guys. What else would I be?"

"You know, if you'd told us that last night we'd have been a lot mote hospitable." Haruka smirked slightly. "Though that was a good act, Red. You really had me going..." She paused for a moment, and then continued in a very sultry voice. "I was like putty in your hands..."

Ranma blushed beat red and started looking down. The implications of that statement were lost to no one.

Michiru blushed slightly, and glared at at her lover for the playful faux pas, "Haruka!"

In response, Haruka could only laugh. "I'm just playing, besides, don't even say that you wouldn't like to see her in a little less then nothing... maybe she could join in one night..."

"I will admit, she is very beautiful," replied Michiru as she gave Ranma a long, appreciating look.

The redhead slowly started to shrink under the table to avoid the lecherous gazes of the two lesbians.

"Could you stop hitting on my girlfriend..." grumbled Hotaru under her voice.

"What was that?" asked Haruka with a suggestive wink.

"Nothing! Absolutely, positively nothing! Right, Ranko?" Stammered Hotaru.

"Don't be embarrassed," Haruka replied, "Ranko told me about you two."

Hotaru glanced at Ranma in extreme irritation. Okay, exactly what had he said? "Really...," she said cooly.

"Yep," Haruka responded. "She said that you helped her come to terms with her sexuality. Its nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Oh yeah," Hotaru muttered, glaring at him. "That."

Ranma blushed and nodded dumbly. "Yeah... um... nothing to be embarrassed about at all... Right?"

The two women across from the pair gave each other a knowing look. "Right."

The meal remained silent for several minutes. Ranma was the next to speak.

"So Hotaru-chan, what do ya wanna do after breakfast?" He asked.

"I'd like to go shopping," she replied. She began to pretend she was fiddling with a ring to tell him exactly what she wanted to get.

"What do you want ta get?"

"That thing we talked about last night," she replied.

"Huh?" he asked, "We talked about a lot of stuff last night."

Hotaru kicked him under the table. Was he really this much of a blockhead? "You know, the _thing_ that fell out of your _pocket_. The one I liked so much that I wanted _my own."_

"Oh..." Ranma stuttered "That thing!. Sounds good to me."

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Haruka wondered.

Hotaru sighed in exasperation and shook her head. "Nothing..."

"I don't know," interrupted Michiru, "Last time you were this secretive, you were buying pregnancy tests. Are you sure you do want to tell us? We all know how badly it turned out last time..."

"Less talking, more eating," cut in Ranma, trying to divert the subject in his own crude way.

Haruka laughed, "Girl's got a point!"

Michiru smiled and added, "Yes, Ranko-san. I really must compliment you on your abilities. This is delicious."

'Ranko' smiled and said, "Thanks."

Hotaru sighed in relief as Haruka and Michiru's conversation drifted to topics focused on their personal lives instead of hers. Maybe things would calm down.

----------------------------------

Setsuna slowly wobbled her way down the steps. God, her head hurt. It felt like if a pair of African bull elephants in soccer cleats were Morris dancing on her frontal lobe.

She this was her worst hangover this bad since that time '44 when she out drank that an entire B17 bomber crew. You'd think that after fifty years she spent with the Norse, she'd immune to effects of alcohol.

Of course, she did suck down an entire bottle of 151 proof rum... and looking back, maybe chasing it with half a bottle of vodka wasn't her brightest decision of all times. Really, she was lucky that she could even _see_ this morning.

She really was not in good shape either physically or emotionally. That "boyfriend" of Hotaru's was going to make her job as Guardian of the Time Gate a nightmare. How could she keep a close eye on their futures if her vision was being constantly clouded?

On the same note, she loved Hotaru very dearly and wanted her to be happy. It was a hard choice, duty or love. She could turn to Princess Serenity for guidance on this matter, but she already knew the answer she'd be given: Love.

With a painful sigh, Setsuna did something she loathed to do. She left it to fate. Dealing with Butterflies wasn't too unlike handling explosives, if you mess with hem, they'll blow up in your face. Besides, Ranma was not a bad sort. He was crude, poorly socialized, and hand the penchant for attracting chaos that was the hallmark of his ilk, but at least he meant well and could be a very powerful asset.

She also noted, that in spite of her anxiety, not having to play the master manipulator was a weight off her soul. The limited presentence granted to her by the Time Gates was a terrible burden. To know the future often has the unfortunate side effect of making you a slave to destiny.

Personally, she though that was way Butterflies existed. History abhors a paradox, and few things are more paradoxical than prophecy and predestination. In essence, the reason they existed was to make life a bitch for people like her.

Walking down the steps, she winced as she smelled breakfast. While usually she would be happy to enjoy the wonderful odor of a well cooked meal, right now all it did was aggravate her already pounding hangover.

Straightening her disheveled clothing, she walked into the dinning room. Needless to say, she was not pleasantly surprised by what she saw. The butterfly was in her house.

Her eyes narrowed as the pain in her head increased ten fold. She sat down, smiled insincerely, and in the most acidic voice she could muster, said, "Good morning, Saotome," while looking Ranma directly in the eyes.


End file.
